The Life of Bri Tsutoni
by RainKandySux
Summary: The story encompasses the life struggles of Bri Tsutoni; a kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf. She becomes the last of her legendary clan at a young age and is forced into accepting her clans's soul-spirit after witnessing why. It covers violence, war, friendship, and deep personal insight onto her love life as she gets older. Shisui Uchiha X OC X Kakashi Hatake coupling.
1. History of Bri

I only own the Tsutoni clan characters; all of the Naruto characters that may be mentioned in the story do not and will not be mine :) This is just a brief description about my original character. I have taken a brief pause on this story to edit many typos I have found.

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

Shinobi is such a powerful, frightening, yet hopeful word that can either send fear or raise hope in the hearts of those that hear it. I see that word for all of its attributes. My name is Bri Tsutoni and I am sharing my tale, my life, my story that really began on my second birthday and continues on to my twenty-sixth one. It will be a long journey, but I am hoping by sharing it, that I will enlighten the world the daily duties of what it means to truly endure a ninja life.

I should start by explaining who I am. My father's clan, the Tsutoni, are ancient and sparse. So sparse that I became the only one when I was 10 years old. I have a mass of blonde and untamable hair. I was born with one gold eye and one black eye. My mother is the famous, if not infamous, Lady Tsunade.

She was always indifferent to me during my childhood, but I blame that on my four older brothers' disappearances. They each graduated at the age of 10 and each one of them never made it home that night after the ceremony. Mother was never been hateful towards me until the night I graduated at that same youthful age as my brothers before.

My clan possesses a spirit. No, not one of those tailed beasts that frighten the souls out of anyone with sense; but an actual spirit reincarnated from the soul of the very first Tsutoni. I know that may sound strange, but the spirit really helped me survive the struggle my ninja lifestyle would throw at me.

The spirit of my clan goes by the name of Hokkaidō. He resembles a wolf and he shared the strength and stamina similar to the tailed beasts; but he was a manifestation of goodness and was not created in the purposes of the tailed beasts. He only physically possesses one clan member of its choosing, but everyone of Tsutoni descent will possess its purple hued chakra and its ability to prevent genjutsu from being successfully used against us.

The vessel of the Hokkaidō will also have purple eyes which the phrase "Purple-Eyed Tsutoni" derives from. My clan had also mastered and was most well-known for the art of storm building. We specialize in wind styled jutsus. The deadliest ability we could manifest mimicked tornadoes. The size and strength of the storm is determined by the user that made it.

My clan was formidable, but how could that be when I ended up alone? That is a mystery that will unravel throughout my life time. Before my father's death he made a compact with the Uchiha clan; a pact that ensured my safety and survival for the Tsutoni people. This unity would be designed by marriage and would lead to a deep connection between me and the angst filled Uchiha the older I matured.

As a young adult, I develop what I thought was an irreplaceable love with Shisui Uchiha. Due to the Leaf's suspicion against my new family, I would end up alone again. Will I be able to adapt love for another of my close friends that I acquired my teenage years, Kakashi Hatake, or will I turn against my home and flee forever like Shisui's beloved cousin Itachi? These would be only a few of the decisions I would face.

Let us begin my story, shall we?


	2. Uchiha and Tsutoni Unite

I only own the Tsutoni clan characters; all of the Naruto characters that may be mentioned in the story do not belong to me or will ever be mine :)

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

~Tsutoni Clan Engagement Ceremony

"She doesn't even know what the hell is going on, or the importance of this ceremony. I don't understand why this can't wait until she is old enough to appreciate her clan," mumbled Lady Tsunade.

She always mumbled around me. It must be because she had already dealt with this four other times with my brothers that disappeared before I even made an appearance into the world.

"It is tradition and you must realize at this point how crucial this it to follow through," my father preached, "hopefully this arranged marriage pairing ceremony will bring the village and the Uchiha's closer and guarantee that another generation of my clan thrives. She and I are all that is left since my clan started to dwindle away even when we were children ourselves. Please take this seriously; I know you are growing tired of this considering it is the fifth time."

"I suppose she does look lovely in that lavender kimono. To think that she will one day partake in missions and fight in battles with the ability of you legendary Tsutoni is unnerving. Perhaps this marriage she's forced into on her sixteenth birthday will release her from those duties," my mother sighed.

I honestly had no knowledge of what my parents were saying or what they were preparing me for at the time. There are only so many critical thinking skills a two year old can have after all. However, I knew that I was different; that I was special. The elites of the village surrounded an elevated platform and each patted my little blonde head as I walked hand-in-hand with my father to the platform's steps.

This engagement ceremony the Tsutoni had planned for every two year old child of our clan is known throughout the land of Konoha since its purpose was primarily to select matches that will create stronger generations. As I reached the top of the platform, I was greeted by a boy at least two years older than I. His eyes were blacker than the coals Papa used to make BBQ, but they were much kinder than those of his clan that stood behind him. BBQ? I'm starving and I hope this doesn't take too much longer. Luckily, the silence was broken as the boy in front of me spoke up.

"I'm Uchiha Shisui, princess. Your face reminds me of the sun," the boy spoke.

I never really appreciated that compliment until _that day.* _

I did not meet the boy again until it was my time to attend the Ninja Academy at five years of age. The three years prior to attending seemed to take a lifetime. Not only did my mother's temper flare up more often than not, but my father also appeared to be irritable and even weak. I was very relieved when it became time for me to get away from it all.

There were many unpleasant occurrences in the shinobi world that forced many students my age quickly through school. It took me five years to graduate, whereas Shisui only attended two. Since many things happened those five years at the Academy, I will skip the majority of it and only provide the most important memories of those years.

The first highlight of my academy days began on my first day of attendance. Shisui met me at the gate of my home. This happened to be the first time I had actually seen him since that ceremonial day. If it was not for his kind black eyes, I do not think I would have even remembered his face.

On the way to class, he gave me a few tips about what I should and should not do in class. Apparently, I was going to have quite a few issues with sitting still and being quiet. It's not like I had to act like a princess in my own home, but I soon learned that all the students had to act like obedient royals. At least, that is was Shisui made it out to be like. Yikes.

Once we reached the main door to the school, he smiled down at me and explained that this was going to be his last year and that he didn't need to be seen with a "frail little girl" and poofed away into smoke. I may have been young, but I knew what he meant.

The jerk was only a few years older; who did he think he was? I did not do a single thing he instructed just to spite him and my bad behavior forced me to overcome the challenge of cleaning the chalkboard after class.

I was a little disappointed when I didn't see his black eyed smile when I left the building. Instead of heading home like my father instructed, I decided to head to the Uchiha section on the outskirts of town. I needed ask the Uchiha why he didn't bother to take me home and why he felt the need to tease me.

I didn't even get half way there when I became distracted by a boy that was a little older or possibly the same age as Shisui. The unfamiliar kid had gray hair which was even more untamed than mine. He was trying to purchase medicine, but the cashier would not sell it due to him not having enough money.

I walked my tiny five year old self up to that old hag and said, "who do you think you are withholding medicine from someone in need! Healing a life is much more important and is worth much more than your lousy money!"

That should show her. The gray haired boy looked at me as if I had lost my way on the path of righteousness.

As the old lady was about to say something explicitly rude back, my father's hand appeared on my shoulder as he paid for the herbs that the boy needed. He joked with the cashier to ease my drama induced scene and then turned to the gray haired boy. It never took him long to find me starting trouble.

"Please, let me take this to Sakumo-sama. He is an old friend and I need to discuss something important with him," Pap said kindly.

I finally looked at the boy's face and noticed that his eyes were not only sleepy looking and dull, but that half of his face was hiding. What a weirdo. He simply nodded and led the way to his home. Great, now I was stuck tagging along with the most boring looking kid that was even more disgruntled to have me follow him than the other boy I had originally sought for. This one wouldn't even acknowledge me after I helped him out!

My journey to find Shisui to tell him off for making fun of me earlier was going down the drain and now that my father was supervising me, I was stuck. We finally reached the boy's home and I was led into the den with the silver haired ninja. Once I got adjusted in a comfortable position, my dad left me and walked to the back room to discuss whatever was so dang important with the boy's father.

Kakashi's POV

I wonder what could be so important that would prevent me from being allowed into the conversation. I am stuck babysitting this little princess when I should be out training and mastering the jutsu I have been working so timelessly on. Besides, this girl has to be insane. Surely she did not belong to THE Lord Tsutoni.

No. She was not quiet, reserved, or respectful and I could feel the anticipation and desire to get up and move ooze from her. The more I looked at her, the more bizarre she appeared. Her hair was just a mess of blonde that needed to be brushed; her eye color didn't even match one another for God's sake!

I suppose you could think of her as pretty if you disregarded those traits. Not that it was easy to do since those are the first things you noticed about her. I would prefer Rin's patient eyes than this girl's bright and shining ones. I can only imagine how she behaves at the academy.

What am I thinking? It's not like I'm really concerned about how this fool of a child acts. I have got to get out of here before the hyperactive bomb of a girl distracts me anymore.

Bri's POV

How rude. That was the second time someone poofed away from me. I wonder if people do this to my mother and that's why she's in a bad mood all the time. Instead of letting it bother me further, I decided to take advantage of the lack of eyes to watch me and snoop about. I crept towards the door where our fathers were located.

"Sakumo-sama, I know you have been burdened lately, but this should bring you hope. I had a dream that my daughter will marry your son. She is engaged to an Uchiha whom she will devote her entire heart and soul to, but I know for certain that Kakashi is in her future too," my father stated boldly.

I remember my mother telling me stories of the dreams that every possessed Tsutoni would have that always foretold the future. This was surely one of them.

That was when I walked away. How could I possibly devote my time to someone that doesn't even want to be around me and what is this engagement that my dad spoke of? Madness. _I'm engaged!_ So that was probably what was happening that day I turned two.

I hardly remember anything about that day. But still, I was engaged? Or rather, I am engaged? I'm pretty positive that this is not normal. I am only five...right? And I was going to be placed into a marriage with_ Shisui?_ Is that why he met me at the gate earlier today? I am way too young to even know what was really going on or why I may get married twice in my lifetime according to my dad. I pushed the ideas of such from my mind. The days I would marry were far, far away.

Shisui walked me to class every morning that first year even though he claimed to be embarrassed to do so. Apparently, I was a pretty good shinobi after all even though he chided me about my lack of care. I also developed a friendship with a girl my age too. Her name is Kurenai and she was amazing at scaring people away with these red eyed glares.

It was hysterical getting into trouble with her. Many of the girls enjoyed teasing me about my two toned eyes, but all I needed was Kurenai by my side and all joking silenced. The next five years continued in that fashion and Kurenai became my partner in crime to and from school once Shisui become unable to do so.

After Shisui graduated my first year of school, he quickly became a Chunin and by my final year he was already an impressive shinobi who was renowned for possessing the most dangerous genjutsu of not just his clan but of the very essence of genjutsu in general.

So, the kid turned out to be impressive. His big, bad skills couldn't even affect me. That little fact irritated him to no end. The next five years continued quickly as I slowly matured into an impressive little kunoichi. Even the Uchiha's I would visit weekly to form the future family bond I would have, appeared fascinated with my few talents.

~Bri's Graduation Day

"I can't believe my name alone can send shivers down our enemies, but the genjutsu that causes it can't even touch you. To think my little princess is the only person other than her own father that could stand against my clan," Shisui joked.

His little princess? Why did he have to say that? All the ten year old girls my age were pretty much the same: fashion, makeup, and boys. Naturally, I was not any different so his suggestion of belonging to him set fire to my face. He just had to be talking this way on the most important day for an academy student.

"I don't have time for this! I'm almost late for the graduation exam!" I sputtered and ran off to the exam room.

I ran into Kurenai on my way. She smiled and told me that I will do great and will meet me outside when I'm finished. I entered the room and started to mentally prepare myself on what to expect. I won't get into the specific details of my exam, but rest assured that I managed to pass them with flying colors. Flying colors that erupted from the bomb I threw at the giant turtle that peeked in on me as I completed the written part of the exam.

I swear there was a human being under its shell! It had to be stopped! Anyway, I passed even with that temporary turtle setback and was enjoying my graduation ceremony a day later. It was announced that my scores were the highest in my class and was even comparable to that of the previous Uchiha Shisui several years before.

Hell yeah; eat that Mister "I cannot be seen with a frail little girl." Cheers erupted from the surrounding friends and family of all those present as the graduation ceremony came to an end. I waved goodbye to Shisui whom I caught smiling when I was handed my papers as my father led the way home.

"I know your mother not sharing this day with us is disappointing, but please do not take it personally. You see, she thinks that if she were to be here that you would disappear like your brothers before you."

"It's really okay. I didn't expect her to grace us with her ever-so-lovely presence," I responded happily.

Little did I know at the time, that the night would be one of the worst ones of my life. Neither did I know that the night wouldn't be the only one that would haunt me.

*"That day" is a new addition I have added after editing to allude to a future date. This will occur when she is 17 just as an FYI ;)


	3. Truth Behind the Tsutoni Decline

Hi! I know the first 2 chapters aren't exploding in violence or passion we all want to see, but that means that it can only get better! Thanks for checking my story out! I only own the Tsutoni's :)

WARNING: There is some explicit description involving death in this chapter.

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

~Bri's POV

A strange man was looming over our front door with a smirk.

"I have just been given the pleasure of becoming sweet Bri-chan's sensei. I would like to see if she would be welcome to take a walk with me. You know, so that we can be formally introduced and get to know one another on a personal level," the man spoke.

His voice was reminiscent of a snake. If a snake could speak, that is. Now that I think about it, that was exactly what this man epitomized; a snake. I just became a genin and this is who I get stuck with? I can only imagine what Shisui will say when I tell him. Maybe he will have knowledge of this man's skill since he was already advancing famously in his ranks as a jōnin.

"Don't you agree that it is a little late for that? Besides, Bri has had a very long day with her graduation and will need some rest before she begins training with you and her other team members tomorrow. Would you oppose to me accompanying you for the evening stroll in her place? I hate that you came all this way to be turned away, Lord Orochimaru."

I gasped at the moniker my father called him by. My dad is elite and he never spoke highly of anyone other than the Hokage. This was the legendary sannin that my mother mentioned could tame snakes? That would explain his smell!

I understand that I did the best on my graduation scores, but I had no idea I would be well off enough to be trained by this guy! Before I got excited enough to argue with my father into allowing me to go on the walk too, he turned to me and shared a gaze that could have only been presented by one full of pain.

"I know that you do not like me to call you 'little princess' anymore, but that is what you will always be to me. You are my first daughter, my last child, my only heir, and my _little princess_. Please sleep well and do not let your anticipation to participate in this ninja world make you reckless," he finally whispered to me and left with my new sensei.

Anyone with any ability to discern a situation would know that what he said was odd. Why did he seem so urgent to tell me goodnight and to be wise now? It's not like he wasn't coming back, I continued to repeat to myself.

"Oi!" Shisui shouted in my ear.

"The hell!" I shouted back.

"Whoa now, that is not a word genin girls should be throwing at their superiors. Next time you do that, I will teach you a lesson about manners," he teased with a wink before continuing.

"I thought they were never going to leave. There are rumors about Lord Orochimaru that are unnerving. I don't think I like or support the idea of him being your sensei and my uncle agrees. I feel it is best that we should do something about this. I have this genjutsu I have been working on that I know can manipulate him to the point that he will want to give up the duties or being your master and pass you off to a different, more appropriate sensei," he suggested.

"He must be as snaky as he smells then. I wonder if there are some facts behind those rumors. What have you heard about him? If they were true, shouldn't he be…I don't know, locked away or assassinated?"

"Did you just say he _smells_ like a snake? That is pretty disgusting and I had no idea your nose could do that. Does your dad's nose do that too? You can be such a doll faced freak sometimes! What do I smell like?" He asked, clearly trying to distract me as he shoved my face into his armpit.

The jerk never seemed to get bored with taunting me these days. Papa says it is because he is 'at that age'. I can only image how obnoxious I'll be at twelve if he is this bad.

"Shisui! Pay attention! What are the rumors that you have heard about that man?" I asked, freeing my face.

"It's just that…well they say he has an obsession with learning every jutsu known to the shinobi world. They say he even goes as far as to use live people in his studies. But, so far no one has found any proof of that." He gave me an odd, sad look that I have never seen on his face before; a look that seemed as if he just made a connection to something more in depth than I originally thought.

"I know you mentioned that you had four older brothers that all disappeared, or ran away, or whatever at your age after the graduation ceremony, right?"

"Yeah, why? Are you worried that I am going to suddenly evaporate too?" I giggled.

"No. I'm sorry to rush off, but I need go. I'll see you tomorrow, princess!" He exclaimed as he began to flicker away.

"Wait! I didn't get to tell you what you smell like!" I shouted.

He paused as I continued awkwardly, "your scent is like a tree in the rain when you are sad, but the sun on lily when you look at me and talk about your hope with the village ending war soon!"

He laughed, turned his head, and left in that flicker movement that I heard he was becoming well known for.

Aww man, why did I say that to him? Now he's not going to want to hang around me anymore; not the weird girl with the knack of smelling a person's chakra on such a personal level that could only be deemed as stalker-like!

I really thought everyone could do that, but now I know that I should have kept that little trick to myself. Too late now! I was starting to comprehend our previous conversation and why he rushed off at the same time I was rambling about what I should have said differently to him, when all of a sudden, it dawned on me what Shisui was suggesting. If those rumors were true, it is very possible that the snake could have been responsible for the dwindling of my clan.

My stomach dropped as I took off in the direction my father and Orochimaru had travelled towards.

_"Please sleep well and do not let your anticipation to participate in this ninja world make you reckless." _My father's voice echoed in the back of my mind.

He must have been warning me to not follow. How could I call myself a kunoichi if I didn't make sure he was okay? Their trail was much easier to track than I thought. It was almost as if Orochimaru wanted me to continue on. After twenty minutes of hunting, the snake smell ended abruptly and in front of a cave mouth.

The secret cave wasn't horribly far from the village, so I wondered why it had stayed hidden all of these years. As I entered the cave, the air around me began to thicken and reek of rotting flesh. At least I think that it was; it was not a smell I was familiar with and it felt human. I could have vomited then, but I held my ground when I sensed the purple chakra of my father.

It calmed my nerves a little to know he was there, but my hands continued to quiver as I braced myself for what to expect in the room that his body was located. The door creaked horribly as it opened and the first thing I noticed was the color black. Dark, haunting blackness surrounded me to the point that my eyes were shielded from whatever lingered around me. Everything that is, but my father's purple essence.

"Bri. You are not as dense as I hoped you would be," my father whispered.

"I know that you will be lighting the room shortly so be warned— what you see is confirmation of what Lord Orochimaru has been doing to our people. The other rooms are also filled with corpses of people from neighboring clans. Do not cry out and do not panic. He will not harm you. I have convinced him that I have given him what he has desired and he will no longer wreak havoc on the Tsutoni's from your generation and onward. He believes that since I am the vessel for the Hokkaidō that my blood will create another spirit manifestation. He is a fool and it will not work, but you must keep that secret for your ears alone for you are about to become its host," he ended and began to cough uncontrollably.

Once again, I slowly began to comprehend what was about to happen. I silently located a lamp against a far wall and something else that felt like bone next to it. As I lit the lamp by scratching loose pebbles together that I found on the cave floor, the room and its contents became all too clear.

Lined along the wall were at least a dozen bodies ranging in size. All had decayed drastically to the point that they were only bones with loose clothing desperately hanging on. They all had the Tsutoni sun crest somewhere on their clothing and they all donned a lavender headband similar to the one that I wore around my neck.

Four of them were close in my size. Four of them had the same messy blonde hair on my head that slowly fell from their rotting scalps. Four of them wore their headbands around their necks like I did in mimicry of my father; the same father of those four.

Vomit slowly filled my throat but I refused to let it out; I refused to be weak. The academy did not prepare this ten year old _child_ for this, for evil; for seeing the brothers I only heard my mother cry about decaying before me.

My father's wheezing returned and I forced myself to turn around and face him. He was also chained to the wall in the same fashion as my surrounding clan. Everything that should have been inside of his abdomen was exposed and needles protruded from every inch of his arms and legs. His purple eyes were missing from his face, and yet he was _alive and breathing_. The bile I tried so desperately to keep down leaped from my stomach onto the dirtied cave floor.

"This is what you will be forced to endure if you do not look up at me and listen!" My father yelled as I my knees buckled.

I couldn't help wondering how he being conscious and alive was possible.

"Orochimaru will be arriving shortly. It appears that he knew you would follow. I am about to release this spirit that is keeping me alive. It is also shielding me from the pain I should be in, so stop fretting and look at me. This is only the beginning of the things you may face as a shinobi. This is only a taste of the violence I want you to fight against. I want you to be full of passion and determination to end this cruelty. When you doubt yourself, think of Shisui as the shinobi I want you to embody. His clan is driven by hatred. A hatred that his father escaped by turning his desire to protect the village as a more important lifestyle than being an Uchiha clan member. If his son is like him, he will make a perfect husband one day for someone as ambitious and vibrant as you, but there is a chance that his clan could destroy that. If that happens, do not let it be the end for you, but only a new beginning."

My father always sounded like he preached his way through life, but I listened even though I didn't quite understand all of what he spoke of until my future trials and tribulations would occur. At that moment, the stench of slithering snake masked all of the rot around me as Orochimaru appeared out of a white-scaled snake.

"Hmmm. I see that I was right about your daughter's ability to detect deceit when she sees it," the demon cackled.

Before he could utter anymore, the chains from my father's bounded arms and legs broke as he ripped them from the walls. He performed the three most precious and secret hand signs tucked away in our clan's tablets and shouted "Spirit Release!"

A giant wolf made of the most violet purple imaginable stood in the middle of us three. My father screamed out in pain and his life ended simultaneously. I had no time to think or feel. The beast made from the first Tsutoni's soul made Orochimaru grimace. The infamous sannin actually looked terrified.

He quickly summoned back the giant snake to swallow him away and they melted into the earth. The wolf looked aghast at being forced out into the non-traditional setting we stood in. The passing of the spirit was to be done with the chief of the Tsutoni, a shinobi that specialized in transferring spirits, and the Hokage present. The last time that occurred was when my father was named the new vessel.

"Hokkaidō," I whispered.

"Princess, I have been looking forward to the day that I would get to live inside the beautiful heart of yours. Your father thought of your compassion frequently. I see that under desperate circumstances he rushed the transaction and we will have to redo this possession in the near future. For the time being, I must access you now or bad things can happen. Forgive me for the pain that you are about to endure, young Tsutoni," the large wolf growled.

All I remember following his apology was the fire in my throat, chest, and eyes as the soul of my ancestor became one with mine.


	4. Shisui Speaks

This was a particularly difficult chapter to write because it is in a boy's point of view. I tried desperately to not make it sound feminine. Also, it is a recap from the previous chapters based on Shisui's point so you may find yourself rushing through those sections! He does include a little more insight to Bri's academy days, an introduction to another OC, Dao; and an explanation for what happened to Bri at the end of the previous chapter. The OC will later be somewhat of a one-sided love rival. As previously mentioned, I only own the Tsutoni!

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

~ Tsutoni Engagement Ceremony

"I must admit, I am surprised that you have selected our clan for such an honor. I am even more surprised that you have chosen one of the orphans of our clan for your daughter," Fugaku spoke to Lord Tsutoni.

"Indeed. You are all too familiar with our ancestors' mutual distaste for one another. I am convinced that for us to continue in the peace we have shared for these past few decades, a marriage involving our two clans would be ideal. This unity will also prove to the other elite clans within our village of our seriousness of keeping such a peace. The reason I have chosen Shisui is primarily because of the history of his particular lineage. I have only heard good things of Kagami Uchiha," Lord Tsutoni responded.

"I understand. He is only two years older as well. He will be a good match for her. However, I do not think he will appreciate this ceremony as much as our clan does, so I do apologize on his behalf if he speaks out of turn! We are very grateful and have even expressed happiness at the thought of this unity. We have also shared concerns about your clan's deterioration and why we have not experienced the same loss. I am hoping that this bond we will have between us will prevent any other disappearances. I believe that my clan may have been spared because the culprit fears the Uchiha for reasons that it did not fear with your clan; please know that I mean no disrespect by saying that."

"I agree with you completely. I also see that you fully comprehend all of my reasons for arranging this so quickly. I am hoping that this will ensure future generations of heirs. I'm relieved that the Uchiha's are all for this ritual so now I can enjoy this ceremony! Ah, my girls are here. Tsunade's beauty never ceases to amaze me and it appears that my daughter will be the same."

"Most definitely, Lord Tsutoni. Shisui is a lucky one," Fugaku ended as both men chuckled.

~Shisui's POV

An "engagement" ceremony and I'm only four. I am really not sure what that means exactly, but it sounds as if I am being trapped into something I may not want in on. I don't even remember being given any say-so on the matter either. Maybe this is a new thing that all ninja about to start at the Academy have to do.

My first day there is only a few months away; right after my fifth birthday. I continued to keep that frame of mind when I climbed the steps leading to the top of a platform I was to be stationed at. I looked around and all I saw were dozens of black-eyed Uchiha, a pair of gold eyes, and one pair of purple eyes that were clearly unrelated to me staring back at me. That would mean that this was not for the academy. Oh no, was I about to die?!

The whispers died down before I could spare a second thought about my impending doom. The hush was caused by a giant of a man with shaggy blonde hair that landed past his waist. As he neared me, I noticed his hand atop of a little girl. Unlike her father, her pale blonde hair was tied tightly into a high topknot. That had to hurt. Her eyes were full of curiosity to the point that I didn't even notice that they were two different colors until the look changed from curiousness to irritation.

I'm guessing that she didn't want to be a part of this festivity any more than I did. She looked like she could use a nap too. That actually sounded really good right now. She looked up at me and her two separate colored eyes changed expressions again. She appeared more at ease the more she met my stare. Before I could stop myself, I spoke.

"I'm Uchiha Shisui, princess. Your face reminds me of the sun," it was the truth though. Her hair and…uh…one eye did look like the sun.

After that day, I began to focus more on my goals for the Academy. There were several in my class and we ranged from different ages. This must be due to the war knocking on our doorstep. Our sensei quickly ran off the list of those present in the class. I caught the name "Hatake." So the son of the "White Fang" was here too? This may be interesting after all.

I also caught Obito's name. Oh great, my older cousin was clumsy, loud, slow, and couldn't possibly survive being a shinobi. Even so, I decided it best to keep my opinions to myself. All of a sudden, one of the other classmates I tried my best to disregard jumped onto Hatake's desk and demanded that the "son of a genius" needed to spar with him. I decided that he was one to stay away from. I don't do well with mental cases.

That year flew by and I wasn't surprised that Hatake was going to graduate at the end of it. The rest of my class remained, including Obito and the green-clad kid that called himself a "beast". It turns out that my second year was going to be my last. I was close to seven at the time I graduated. My last year was going to be Princess Tsutoni's first one. I had not seen her since that engagement thingy because my uncle, Fugaku, kept outsiders from visiting me specifically so that I wouldn't be distracted. It only took two years for me to master my skills; subsequently he had to know what he was doing by keeping me so isolated.

"Shisui. I know I have kept you away from others so that you would focus on your studies, but this year is your last. I think it is time we re-introduce you to a former acquaintance. You see, you are going to be her protector from here on out. Starting your first day back, you will be escorting Princess Tsutoni to her class," Fugaku explained.

Are you serious? I was about to be a full-fledged ninja and I was going to be stuck _escorting_ a little princess to her class?

"Is it really necessary for me to babysit her like—" Before I could even complete my sentence, my uncle literally punched my face in.

"Do not question the necessity for the princess's safety! You have been honored with this responsibility and will one day be glad for it. We, as Uchiha, made a promise to the Tsutoni clan to keep the last of their heir alive. If you speak to me like that again, I will not be so tolerable. If you were not a seven year old child, your face hurting would be the last of your worries."

Okay, so I made a big no-no. I wasn't about to let that happen again.

I rushed over to the Tsutoni home the following day and arrived just as Princess Bri exited the gate. It has been sometime over three years since the last time I saw her. I greeted her softly and we took off towards the Academy. We continued that same pattern until my last day. We grew to know one another on a friendly term and I even started to like being around the kid.

After my graduation, I was soon placed on a team consisting of two other shinobi named Genma and Dao. The war that haunted us kept my team busy with missions so any contact I had with Bri was rare and limited. The next five years seemed to fly by. Each year, I noticed that Bri aged too. She wasn't the little girl I needed to protect anymore.

Her personality grew even more robust as well. I heard rumors about the Tsutoni princess not tolerating unfairness or bullies and decided that I should take advantage of my uncommon amount of free time today to go check those rumors out.

I snuck into the window that led to a hidden room which kept a wall full of peepholes into all of the rooms at the academy. I accidentally stumbled upon it when I listened to my fool of a cousin, Obito, talk of a room that concealed secrets.

He told me about a precious jutsu hidden here that only the bravest of people could find. Obviously, he sent me away with the lie so I wouldn't best him around his comrades. Little did he know that my discovery was useful regardless. I found the room Bri was staying in, and sure enough I confirmed the rumors about her intolerance of bullying to be true.

Bri and a friend of hers with bright red eyes were creating some type of paper-glue-ball to drop onto a girl sitting in the desks beneath them. The victim was going on and on about how "pretty girls have natural looking eyes, not eyes that look like blood such as Kurenai's or eyes with physical deformities like Bri's."

That little ass-wipe had the audacity to call the prettiest girls in the room ugly because their eyes were not common. She had the paper-glue-ball thing being smashed into her hair coming. If that was what Bri had been doing all of these years in class, no wonder it took her five to graduate.

Obviously, I thought of Bri as being attractive, but I still only viewed her as a kid. Twelve year olds like me are really starting to notice great things about girls, honestly. My mind started to wonder what Bri would look like in a few more years. I didn't feel guilty thinking about it, I mean we are technically engaged so she will be mine at her prime. Hell yeah.

That afternoon was Bri's graduation. I was able to attend and I noticed her father sitting close by. He seemed like he was ready for this day to end, so I decided to keep my distance. I rolled my eyes when her class's sensei compared Bri's outstanding test scores comparable to that of mine several years ago. Really though, it took her five years to reach the skill I acquired in only two, what were they thinking? She tied the purple headband around her neck to match her father and they quickly exited the ceremony.

I silently followed the pair of messy golden-haired people and hid high in a tree behind their home. I could hear Lady Tsunade sobbing within the back bedroom of the house from where I was positioned. I don't really know why she was depressed whenever Bri was around, but I got a few ideas back when Bri and I would talk on our walks to class.

Back in those days, I learned Bri's fears, dreams, and her close friendships. My thoughts were interrupted when I felt uneasiness slither around the house. Someone else besides me who didn't belong here, must be lurking close by. At that moment, I heard a gut wrenching voice speak up.

So _he_ was the one causing the taint. I heard many obscene things about him and was supposed to be partaking on a secret mission to investigate him soon. It wasn't too much longer that Orochimaru and Lord Tsutoni walked away from Bri onto a trail to the west of the home, leaving the girl alone.

I jumped from my perch and intentionally frightened Bri. I then badgered her for cussing and tried my best to focus on what she was telling me. I could feel the urgency in her voice, but I tried to disregard it to put her at ease. It didn't work so well.

"Shisui! Pay attention! What are the rumors that you have heard about that man?" she repeated to me.

Comprehension of why Lord Tsutoni looked malicious during her graduation and why he chose to walk with Orochimaru without allowing Bri to tag along slowly dawned on me. That Sannin must have been responsible for the Tsutoni clan's demise. I quickly asked Bri about her brothers to confirm my suspicions. She answered in a light-hearted way that she probably wouldn't have if she had known what was about to be uncovered.

I didn't have time to build a valid case against the Sannin, but I decided to speak to the Hokage immediately anyway. It is not like time was on my side right now. Before I flickered away, I heard Bri shout the answer to an earlier question I used to try to distract her from her ongoing fear. Her answer of what my chakra smelled like was so incredibly specific that she had to have been thinking about it enough to come up with a description like that.

So the little princess was dreaming about me after all.

As I approached the Hokage and explained all that I witnessed, he grimaced and called on four others to accompany us in tracking the two legends. One of them had the yellowest hair and the bluest eyes I had ever seen. Another was a kunoichi with strikingly red hair. The other two were hidden away behind ANBU uniforms. We left quietly and followed the snaky-smelling trail. As we approached the mouth of an unhidden cave, we knew that something unruly happened. I hoped we weren't too late.

The Hokage entered first and motioned for us to follow once he deemed it to be safe. The farther we entered, the more I relied on my Sharingan. It wasn't just Lord Tsutoni that lay unconscious on the floor of a nearby room, but another body as well.

Panic and anger filled my soul as the Lord Hokage opened the door that led to them. He held his hand up to stop us from getting any closer to the two seemingly lifeless figures. The red haired ninja gasped in desperation as she looked around the room. I didn't feel like viewing our surroundings because I already knew what hung around me; Tsutoni. Bodies and bodies of Tsutoni.

I kept my eyes focused on Bri and I felt small relief seeing her chest heave for air. Blood dripped from her eyes as if they were tears. The "Yellow Flash" lowered the arm the Hokage held up to hold us back and lifted Bri from the ground. He had a pained expression on his face.

"It looks like Lord Tsutoni passed the spirit incompletely onto Bri. We must get her to the hospital, treat her current wounds, and prepare to redo the spirit transaction correctly before she experiences any lasting damage," he spoke to compensate for the Hokage's silence. The Hokage nodded his head as the Yellow Flash transported us to the hospital.

_"You see, you are going to be her protector from here on out,"_ my uncle's voice burned in my head.

How could I have failed at the one thing I was truly responsible for?


	5. Hope

I only own the Tsutoni! Here starts a new beginning for Little Bri

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

~Bri was last seen overtaken by her clan's soul

Bri's POV

I awoke in a haze. At first I thought that I was blind, but that fear drowned away when I realized that my eyes were simply covered in bandages. It felt as though fire was scorching my throat and chest, but I forced myself to sit up.

I could sense two people behind me leaning on each side of my bedpost, two standing at the foot of my bed, the Hokage on my right side and my mother on my left. I also knew that Kurenai and her father were just outside the door to my room whereas Shisui stood the farthest from my bedside.

I wasn't sure about how long I was unconscious. What I was the most unsure about, was the lack of feeling I had. I did not feel sad, afraid, angry, hurt; only slightly curious. Other than that, I felt nothing at all. It was like I was falling down into and endless pit.

Why wasn't anyone moving or saying anything? Why didn't they seem like they were completely there? I was about to move my legs off of the bed and onto the floor to check out these doll like caricatures of people around me when Hokkaidō interrupted.

"Where do you think you are going, young Tsutoni? Your spirit is in a very delicate stage and has not yet been successfully merged with mine. If you continue out of your bed, your spirit may jump out of our grasp and you will be no more," the wolf spirit called out.

If that was not a little scary, then I would be insane. I almost killed myself just because I wanted to know why everyone was so still around me. I started to get the feeling that curiousness was going to be an issue for me.

"Yes, it will be," Hokkaidō agreed.

"Um, I am pretty positive that I did not say that out loud."

"I am a part of you now, silly child. I can hear your thoughts and you can hear mine."

Fantastic. That is just what I needed, another conscience.

"Stop that rambling and listen. In order to resolve this tiny issue, all you have to do is what I tell you. First, pretend that you are standing, but do not really stand," he bossed.

Not exactly the easiest thing to do when all types of craziness what happening to me in the past few hours, or was it days?

"Stop being ridiculous and do it," he barked me back into reality.

I obeyed and imagined that I was standing on top of a lily covered hill with the bright yellow sun beaming down on my face.

"Good," he encouraged, "now act like you are falling with your face towards the ground."

Ouch. Oh yeah, not ouch because I was only pretending to be standing and falling. Hokkaidō is right, I need to stop being so ridiculous. I did as I was told and before my "face" was buried into the lilies; I awoke with a gasp back into reality.

I was surrounded by the same people I had mention before while I was a ghost (I guess that is what I was at the time). Unlike the lack of emotion I had as a spirit, the tension that echoed off the walls of the room was the reason I didn't have any feelings currently.

I crept into a sitting position and instantly wished that I had not. My aching body desperately fought to push me into a blackout from the pain, but my mind fought harder to stay awake.

"Bri?" I heard Shisui whisper from his far off stance. It sounded as if he had been struggling to hold back tears. There are many things twelve year old shinobi did not do and crying was one of them. I must have looked as bad as I felt. Now was not the best time to feel vain at my state of ugliness and it was soon wiped away by the pain that erupted into my throat as I turned my head in his direction.

"Aghhh!" I cried.

I tried to stifle the cry, but the "mind over matter" motto I repeated to myself only worked so long. My mother began to shout in her famous bossy voice in response to my pain.

"Be quiet you useless excuse of a guardian! All of you that are not required for the spiritual transaction, get out immediately!"

I could hear the shuffling of feet flee the room and even heard the soft whispering of Kurenai on the other side of the wall. Shisui hesitated and finally found it best to leave after my mother growled more hateful words at him. My ears and nose ached from the heightened senses I now possessed. My mother's voice was too loud. Her smell of hate was too strong.

"Please, your voice is hurting me. I do not like you speaking that way to him or to those that have carried me here. Maybe you should just shut up yourself," I choked out.

That was the first time I had ever shown my mother disrespect. It was not going to be the last either. Silence fell into the room and those that remained were not about to say another word until it was appropriate.

I heard scratching on the floor as someone scribbled a circle and other necessary images needed for this ritual. I wish I could have seen who the etching sound belonged to. My memories of what I saw in my spirit stage were already going away. The chakra around the drawer was like that of the wind— free and light.

"Lady Tsunade, carefully heal your daughter's flesh wounds so that we can move her from the bed and onto the floor without any immediate threats," the windy-feeling ninja ordered.

I felt the chill of my mother's chakra flow into my veins. It was the greatest relief I had felt the entire time I had been awake. The iciness of the healing soothed the heat I couldn't escape. At that moment, it was the first time I had ever truly loved her.

It was the first time I sensed that love and devotion back from her. She began to sing a song that my papa mentioned a long time ago that she would whisper to me when I was being a fussy infant.

_"Hear my plea, little bumble bee._

_Don't you buzz too far, for if you do you may scar._

_Even so, I will mend any wound. For I need you, little bird that came from my womb,_

_To share with me this life. Strife you may have in the future to follow, but you shall not wallow_

_In the fear shared by all young deer. I promise you this, for I will always be near."_

I silently listened in awe until it was finished. The Hokage and wind-ninja lifted me from my resting place and softly placed me in a cross legged position onto the floor. They then instructed that I hold both arms out with palms up like I were a waitress holding plates on my arms.

Lastly, they began to unravel my shielded eyes. I whimpered slightly with every movement, even with the waning relief from the previous healing. I kept my exposed eyes closed despite wanting to use them moments before. I decided that I was not ready to see the hint of depression that I had grown used to viewing in my mother's eyes.

The Hokage began to chant the words only meant for the current possessor of the spirit to say to the newly selected host. As I was both of those, he was given the honor of the duty in place of my father. He finished the chant and instant gratification became my primary emotion. The spirit that rushed into me, rushed back out in a fog-like form and took the scorching pain away with him.

I finally convinced myself to open my eyes and marvel at the creature. He lowered himself into a kneeling bow and spoke, "heir of Tsutoni, heir of he, may I ask that you embody me?"

I knew my response oh too well since I had to repeat it every day since the moment I learned to talk.

"Heart of my ancestor, heart of my clan, I am glad to be chosen as a vessel… again," I answered.

He acknowledged my acceptance and the hand drawn symbols began to glow like purple stars around us. He turned into the fog once more and entered my body by peacefully walking into me. This time, I experienced an entirely different sensation than the first time the spirit inhabited me.

He felt like hope; like the sun peeping from a raincloud and like a river always flowing.

Hope!

I finally understood the true nature of the Hokkaidō. I understood why my father did not sink into the blackness of depression like my mother or why he rarely showed anger, worry, or fear. I couldn't believe this bizarre feeling of joy.

How could I feel this way after I had just witnessed my father being dissected alive; after seeing the brothers I desperately wanted to know rot away with the other members of my ancient clan? I had just recovered from the most excruciating pain I had never experienced before. But despite all of that, I was at peace and the idea of being free to live a different future submerged the bad feelings associated with death.

Hokkaidō's love radiated in my bones as he shared his own thoughts with me.

"The long-stemmed mystery of your missing clan has been solved and now you can move forward from that. You now know that your mother does have some feelings of love for you hidden away. You also carry my strength, a strength that you have yet to discover. You now have every reason to protect your village even more so than you would without me. You have been given a responsibility only provided to the most worthy of the Tsutoni. How can you not be at peace?"

A smile began to form on my face. A smile that I originally thought I would never have again. Much to my dismay, the smile did not last long enough. The sting of my mother's hand itched on my left cheek. She had slapped my dreamy smile away as she had many times before with words, only this time the blow was physical.

"What the hell are you so damn happy about that you could have the audacity to smile like a foolish little girl who has just been asked to dance? Your clan has been massacred by a man as powerful as me who happens to have the most unruly knack of hiding. You have just seen your brothers' bodies chained up like lab rats and you can smile?!" She screeched, blood dripping from my ears at the shrillness of it.

She did not have time to continue on her rampage due to the fact that the two ANBU that previously inhabited the room before her first screaming session, slammed her into the wall behind her. Shisui held his tantō precariously against her neck to keep her from struggling away from the two that held her down.

The last ninja that I vaguely remembered being in the room previously began to walk in my direction. She had red hair and one of the most beautiful faces I had seen around Konoha. She looked at me determinedly and began to speak.

"Do not listen to a word she says. Do not dare let those nasty memories keep you from smiling at a life that can only move forward into happiness. Do not think, not for a single second of a single minute of each passing hour, that you are the cause for her misplaced hatred. The Hokage has been watching her closely since you started at the academy and we are all aware of her mistreatment against you. She has become a drunkard and will be escorted from the village to a rehabilitation center until this war we are in the midst of ends. Then she can leave to do whatever she pleases. I'm sorry if I have spoken out of turn, but I refuse to let such cruel negativity be thrown at a girl who has been through too much at a young age already. Now, I have one more last thing to say before you pass out from exhaustion. I have been selected as your Team Captain along with Yūhi Kurenai, and Mitarashi Anko. An all-girl squad hasn't been established in nearly two decades and I am thrilled to be the leader of the new one! Oh, and I am Uzumaki Kushina," she ended with a smile.

I easily mirrored the smile.

My mother's crazed attack really did not surprise me nor did it phase me in any way. I think I was okay with whatever just happened because of this never ending feeling of joy set forth by Hokkaidō. This spirit was the greatest gift a father could ever bestow upon a mentally scarred child.

The ANBU took my red-faced mother away while Kushina sensei, the Hokage, and the wind-ninja (that I discovered to be _the_ Yellow Flash when I actually looked at him) followed behind. Shisui hesitated to step in, but eventually walked over to me on the floor. He lifted me up so that I was resting in his arms.

"I cannot say sorry enough. I cannot erase the damage that I could have prevented had I not been in such a rush to stop what I knew was about to happen instead of standing by your side and keeping you away from danger. I don't know how, when, or if you will ever forgive me for abandoning my number one post as your protector. Just know that I will live the rest of my life chasing you, caring for you, sharing your hopes and dreams, and waiting for day I get to marry you."

He lifted me up higher to kiss my forehead to end his passionate confession. My cheeks began to blush uncontrollably as all that he meant closed in around my heart. There is only some much self-restraint a ten year old can have towards a speech like that after all. He carried me outside of that unforgettable room to where Kurenai was hopping around in her own sense of relief and excitement.

"Briiiiiiiiiii! We get to be on the same team and you will be living with me until the Hokage says otherwise!" She screamed in excitement as her father tried to quiet her. I squealed with her too, even though mine sounded a little pathetic. I did just undergo a lot of physical demands and was proud of myself for staying conscious the entire time to have even gotten the chance to attempt to scream in excitement.

She didn't question my halfhearted enthusiasm, so she must have been well aware of what had happened to me also. Shisui handed me over to Kurenai's father so that we could get on to the Yūhi household. I felt Shisui flicker back to his own home and I started to day dream about the future that he promised I would get to share with him.


	6. Tatsumaki

As mentioned, this story will have some violence, uncomfortable scenes, and even lemony love moments in future romance sections especially when Bri gets older. I must write chapters like this one to give me and you a break from that type of drama because we all know life isn't bad and intoxicating all the time. Life can be really fun actually; even when you're ninjas. So, this is one of those filler chapters to giggle a little about. Enjoy!

I do not own Naruto

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

~Bri's POV

I stood in the open training field with Kurenai, Anko, and Kushina-sensei all behind me. This was it. This was my time to let loose my clan's most famous jutsu.

It had only been three weeks ago that our kunoichi-only team had been assigned. At first, I was little worried that with my, Kurenai's, and Anko's unruliness in terms of personality would be too much for Kushina-sensei to handle, but it turns out that she is right up there with us—loud, honest, and fun. We had yet to be given a mission but that was largely due to the fact that Anko and I were undergoing physical transformations.

I noticed that Anko is the same age as Shisui. Damn it! I was trying so hard not to think about him today too. I had started to develop other feelings for him; feelings deeper than any simple friendship ever since the long night that he found me dying in a nasty cave.

Back to Anko! She was suffering the brutality of Lord Orochimaru much worse than I. Her curse mark would flare throughout our training sessions, but with our support and help she was able to overcome any temptations that she was faced with during those times. She also did not smell like that snaky man even though she possessed his affinity for those creatures.

Instead, she emitted a typhoon-like essence. I bet that was hinting towards her lack of self-control and long temper tantrums I was constantly exposed to now that she was living with us as well. While she was battling her demons, I was accepting mine.

~Flashback

I had been unconscious for three whole days, so I was not sure what to expect when I had finally awoken. That morning, I halfway glanced at my reflection from the mirror in the bedroom I shared with Kurenai. I knew that my eyes would be violet, but knowing that still didn't prepare me for the actual change.

I shrieked accidentally thinking that it wasn't me staring back. It was apparently loud enough to cause suspicion because the next thing I knew, two ANBU that were probably watching over the Yūhi household appeared into the room only to shake their heads and evaporate back out. How embarrassing. I was an unclean mess that they probably thought was being dramatic about her crazed appearance. Which was slightly the truth, in a way.

Shortly after my little episode, Kurenai entered our room and squealed, "Bri! Your eyes! They are the most beautiful color that I have ever seen!"

"Really? I always thought that about yours and besides, I liked the originality of my old ones. I guess you're right about these being prettier though. The more I look at them, the more confident I get," I replied.

"And you know what confidence is? Beauty!" She said enthusiastically as we secretly escaped into the village.

We thought it would be a good idea to visit Shisui and surprise him of my alertness since he had been stopping by every day to see if I had awoken from my weakened state.

"How exactly do we go about doing this? Do we just walk on in as if we have done it a thousand times before? You know how odd the Uchiha marketplace is sometimes," Kurenai whispered.

"Hmmm, I'm not really sure. I think outside visitors are welcomed but you don't really see any because they are intimidated by the people that occupy the homes here," I responded.

We entered the gate that led us to the Uchiha market area and tried our best to pretend like we knew exactly what we were doing.

"I feel like you don't know where to turn first," Kurenai said as we walked straight through the area, "do you even know where he lives?"

"Heh. No, not really. I did get us this far though didn't I?" I sheepishly admitted, resting my hands on the back of my head smirking.

"Why am I not surprised?" She answered as we began to laugh.

The giggles were quickly stifled when we heard a too-close rustling nearby. We looked at each other shadily before she whispered.

"Do you think that it's Shisui messing with us?"

Before I could agree with that suggestion, a figure jumped out from behind a dumpster to our far right.

"Hello beautiful ladies! I couldn't help but notice that you have lost your way from the main part of the village and have wondered into untested territory! Please, allow me to escort you back outside of the Uchiha market!" The stranger yelled.

Why on Earth was he screaming nonsense at us? Why is he wearing that puky green colored jumpsuit thing? Why did he try to compliment his ridiculous outfit with orange leg warmers? Why is his hair cut like that? How did he even get here without us bumping into him before? That thing had to have been stalking us since we left the house! I looked over at Kurenai who could have only been running the same questions through her mind too.

"Maybe if we just slowly back away from it, and fake some hand signs he will think we are Uchiha too," she quietly suggested.

She could have even pulled that off with her red glare, but I wasn't so sure I could have the same amount of luck. My hair was pale and my eyes were unmistakably purple for kami's sake, but I followed her lead anyway.

Her plan was clearly not working. While we were whispering another game plan, the thing, "it", was smiling a very white, very toothy grin at us while giving a ridiculous thumbs-up sign at the same time. Did he think we were saying good things about him? Heaven forbid that. We continued to back away from his presence when all of a sudden we bumped into a brick wall.

"Eeeeeek!" we both shrieked with uncertainty.

"That is twice that two genin girls with outstanding shinobi ability have been taken off guard. I am disappointed in you two, but I do understand your surprise with Gai. He is appalling to look at," the brick wall said.

"Shisui-kun? We have been looking for you all over this place!" I said back, beaming at him.

"It's a nice feeling that two of the cutest girls I know are hunting me down. I was just about to check on you again too, Bri-chan. You have been out for too long princess! Since you are here, why don't I show you around my part of town? It is not as scary as Gai has made it out," he informed us as we walked away from the now crying-on-the-ground-with-defeat stranger.

The next day, I was instructed to meet with the Hokage about my future position on Team Kushina. I noticed that the elders were also present for this meeting. All but one agreed with the idea of me participating in the group. The one who disagreed suggested that I should be relocated into the underground Black Ops unit alongside him. He also took me off guard by ever-so-slightly mentioned being a relative of mine.

"As her only remaining relative that can actually oversee her, I think that my opinion should be weighed the highest," the random man said.

"The hell you do!" I argued back, "I have never met you, seen you, or heard about you in my entire life and now you think you have a right to control mine?! No, I do not think so," I countered.

I forgot about my father's attempts at turning me into a respectful young lady and was a little embarrassed at my outburst. I wasn't a five year old little girl anymore. Luckily, the Hokage and even the man that wanted to dictate my life began to laugh.

"I see that you have Tsunade's blood hidden within you after all," the Hokage jeered as I scowled towards the floor, "Danzo is your mother's uncle. Their disagreements with nearly everything have led to the result of you never knowing about his existence," he explained.

"Even so, I still do not think his opinion or anyone's opinion for that matter should be used to decide on what I can do with my life. I will live with the Yūhi family until they get tired of me. I will be a part of Kushina-sensei's squad. That is final," I responded with my eyes daring them to argue.

These purple beauties really were filling me up with confidence.

"Very well, just know that there will always be an opening for you if you change your mind," the so-called _Lord_ Danzō finished with a smile.

Relief engulfed the room when the man let go of any opposition. The preparations were made for me to join Team Kushina and I could finally move forward with my ninja career.

~ Back to the Present Day

Those first three weeks that were spent developing our strengths and teamwork flew by. Now, I was about to make my storm. It was beyond nerve-racking thinking about creating a legendary creation that only belonged to the Tsutoni. What if mine was pitiful and an embarrassment to my family name? What if I couldn't even make one? Well, I didn't really have much time to give those fears anymore thought with Kushina-sensei yelling at me to hurry up.

"Come on Bri-chan, we do not have all day. We are starving and all want to get some rest now!" She fussed.

I spread my feet apart and bent my knees. Okay. Here goes. I flashed the four unique hand signs needed and inhaled as much air as I could hold within my lungs. As I began to blow out the _tatsumaki_, a rustling in the wooded area to my left distracted me and forced my dangerous creation in that direction.

My storm was at least twenty feet higher than the trees surrounding the field around us and was pale yellow in color. Kushina sensei, Kurenai, Anko, and I stared after the monster in awe and excitement.

"Perfect, Bri-chan! That was even more impressive than I originally thought it would be! I am so proud of you! It looks like it is headed towards are village which is the last thing we need to happen, you know? So, now would be an excellent time to put it out," Kushina instructed.

I nodded at her sage advice and then hesitated. How was I supposed to put it out? The information I gathered from the scribes that explained the jutsu only showed how to build it, not break it. This jutsu was rarely used, and only in war at that. It was made to be destructive. It served as a one-blow-to-end-this-now sort of thing.

"Briiiii-chan," she sang my name worriedly, "any day now would be very much appreciated."

"About that…" I mumbled as the twister stormed on.

I, the storm maker, along with three other gaping-mouthed faces looked on towards the destructive-making path that was headed towards our beloved village.


	7. Obito is the Culprit

Tsutoni is mine. The other characters are not. :) This was a fun one to write. I enjoyed the clumsiness of Obito in his younger days so this is mainly for him! Oh, and I needed to reconnect Kakashi with Bri; this was an easy way to arrange that.

* * *

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

~Training field Kushina's team is located.

~Kakashi's POV

There were two distinct differences I could tell with the five-years-older Tsutoni. One, her hair was tied tightly into a top not and not hanging tangled to her waist like the last time I saw her. Two, her eyes were a delicate shade of purple that I refused to look at any longer. They distracted me from my main purpose of being here.

The Hokage had requested that our team study the power of the Hōkkaido since he planned on assigning her to our next mission. This mission is to be the first offensive attack the Hidden Leaf will take. So far, the Hokage had only allowed our village to plan defensive strategies. The heat of war only continued to knock on the village's borders, so he decided that it was time to go on the attack.

The red headed leader, Kushina, was in charge of the not-so-serious trio of kunoichi. She was obviously getting impatient with the Tsutoni. She was standing with her hands on her hips and her left foot tapping away urging the little princess to use the jutsu inherited by her legendary clan. Every so often Bri would sigh and make an attempt to form the signs required to form her jutsu, but would eventually give up at the last moment.

I wonder why she acted afraid. I had to work endlessly at my own invention that is still incomplete while her masterpiece is embedded in her DNA. She was either a coward of her own abilities, or great at prolonging the agony of making people wait for a highly anticipated show. I'm pretty positive that she was just terrified.

Obito was doing his best to keep from moving about on the tree limb that he, Rin, and I shared. His lack of self-control was really starting to get the best of him and his impatience began to push him past his breaking point. Rin sat between us with her hands closed in fists near her mouth like she was just as afraid of the storm as the Tsutoni girl.

Minato sensei was perched a level above us, silently peering at the girls in the field with any trace of impatience hidden away. A white moth fluttered towards our location and I suddenly felt a sense of trouble looming about. I glanced back in the Tsutoni's direction just as she finally inhaled the air around her.

The moth landed on my mask, but my intense aura drove it away. Drove it right onto Obito's nose. Fuck! His nose twitched in irritation and within two seconds he sneezed. The Purple-Eyed Tsutoni jerked her attention in our direction just as she was exhaling her _tatsumaki_.

"Fantastic, Obito. Now one of the most ferocious arsenals produced by the Hidden Leaf is headed our way and directly towards our village," Minato sensei remarked calmly.

Wow. Only the Yellow Flash could be so nonchalant about the impending doom. He quickly prepared his specialized kunai to send the storm away if it wasn't terminated by the Tsutoni girl soon. I turned to face her again and realized that something was not quite right.

Kushina-sensei stopped fussing, turned, and mimicked her open-mouthed students at the destruction the Bri was not stopping. Damn it all. The Purple-Eyed Tsutoni couldn't even control her own jutsu and she was to be assigned with our team on the very first offensive mission in the war for the Leaf.

Before Minato-sensei activated his own transportation jutsu to remove the tornado from our location, the little Tsutoni collapsed to the ground as her purple chakra swallowed the air around her. She clasped her head and closed her eyes in pain. When she reopened them, they were glowing.

She began to tremble as if she were possessed with her palms facing towards her storm. She began to move the storm about and managed to twist it back into her direction. At last, she pushed her hands towards the ground banishing the storm to its death in the dirt at her feet. The tatsumaki disintegrated into the dust and left a faint yellow mist in the affected area.

The tiny ten-year-old fainted into the arms of her sensei. I had never seen someone so powerful look so frail in all my life. Minato motioned for us to remain in our positions as he headed towards her team. He spoke briefly with her sensei and returned.

"Okay, let's go to the Hokage and inform him of our recently acquired intel on the new Purple-Eyed Tsutoni," he commanded.

* * *

~Obito's POV

I'll be damned if I didn't almost screw up our very important intel-gathering mission by sneezing. Why do these things only happen to me? Why didn't that stupid moth just stay on the ever-so-perfectly-still Hatake? If my failure somehow, someway gets back to Shisui and the rest of my clan, I'm going to die.

Shisui was already more talented than me with his powerful Sharingan continuing to make legends while I still haven't even activated mine. He just had to be the one member of our clan that was designated to protect that Tsutoni girl; that Tsutoni girl that I had almost forced into eliminating our village.

Yep. If he finds out about this he will never let me live it down. Well, I guess I better make sure our team avoids him for a while.

"Hi, Shisui-sama!" said the most beautiful voice in all of Konoha. Rin was always so delicate and kind. Wait, who did she just say hey to?

I was snapped back into reality as Shisui slapped the back of my head. Shit, shit, shipity shit.

"Now, now Rin-chan you know that we are in a hurry to pass on important information to the Hokage and we have no time for small talk!" I pleaded with her and hoped that she would take the hint as sweat dripped down my face.

Shisui simply raised an eyebrow.

"What type of 'important information' is so important that you can't even stop and say hello to a cousin?" He questioned.

He knew full well that I was trying to hide something.

"Uh…well you see…" I stuttered before Hatake rudely interrupted me.

"It's about your girlfriend. She nearly wiped us all out with a storm her sensei pushed her into making on behalf of the Hokage after Obito distracted her with a sneeze; which ultimately caused her to change its direction in mid-creation of the whole process towards us."

That little piece of shit. He had never spoken so much before and in one long breath he just ratted me out to the fiercest Uchiha of our generation.

"Thank you so much. You have just made my day," I concluded as I took off running full sprint towards the Hokage's quarters.

I didn't even spare a second glance at my sensei, cousin, and teammates left standing awkwardly behind me in the dust cloud I created. Relief filled my bones as I made my way into the Hokage's office.

The standing Black Ops couldn't even catch me before I burst into the room. I desperately tried to slow myself down before barreling over the old man, but I tripped in the process and bowled him over anyway. I quickly jumped off the elder leader thinking that I had probably just killed him.

"Please forgive me, Hokage-sama, I needed to escape eminent danger and was not aware of how fast I was really running," I desperately apologized.

"I suppose you have gotten yourself into quite a bit of trouble on your previous mission then, hmm?" he questioned.

"Hai, yes sir," I sighed.

It was not too much longer that the rest of my team finally arrived for the meeting. Minato-sensei explained what we saw and agreed that Bri is a much needed asset to the mission we were going to be assigned. Apparently, her father was to be the original captain for this special attack but due to his death and the personal convictions the Hokage had, the leader of the Hidden Leaf selected to place Minato-sensei in Lord Tsutoni's place instead.

"Obviously Bri Tsutoni is not mature enough to lead this mission, but that does not mean that she cannot be guided and do the job her father was originally selected to do. She is fully capable of not only creating the force that we need to land a devastating blow on the Iwagakure shinobi, but she can end it when she sees fit as well. Please, bring her to me tomorrow at twelve noon after lunch so that we can further discuss the specifics about this mission," the Hokage said as he dismissed us.

It was odd listening to what they said about Bri. She frequently visited the Uchiha section and brought a cheerfulness not usually found in our side of the village. I didn't like the way they made her sound; like she was simply a weapon used to bring an end to this exhausting war. No wonder Shisui disliked the idea of her starting on missions soon.

I overheard him asking her if she was going to pursue life as a ninja or if she was going to stop once she was old enough to marry. She nearly laughed to death claiming how stupid that would be to think about right now, but I knew he was sincere. I didn't want to see Rin in the midst of battle any more than he wanted to see Bri fighting.

Besides, he actually had a right to ask and give his opinion. She was to be his. Unlike with Rin, who was never going to see me in the way that I viewed her. I decided it was best to stop dwelling on those facts and start thinking of a way to avoid Shisui until this mission came. Kami only knows what he was planning on doing.


	8. Part 1: Meeting Team Minato

Tsutoni is mine, the other characters are not. This arc of Bri's story will be split into two chapters and is based on the Kannabi Bridge mission of the cannon! This part specifically brings in some insight to things that happened when she was younger and involves her meeting Minato's team. She will be getting a bit more involved with Kakashi too… :O

* * *

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

~Shisui's POV

I just made it back to the village after an exhausting interrogation mission when I swore I saw a yellow twister located at one of the training fields. I was hastily walking that way when I came across a few of my old classmates. I could tell that Obito, Rin, Kakashi, and their sensei had to have been leaving the location the tornado disappeared.

If I'm lucky, this meant that they would know the reason behind what had happened. Thank Indra! I am not in the mood to investigate it myself. I could bet all the money I have that it had something to do with Bri's team and I really didn't want to get involved when she had her childish outbursts.

Her team seemed to make trouble within the village due to their wild behavior ever since they united. While I was day dreaming about Bri and her team, Obito looked like he was fretting over something. He seemed to be doing that a lot these days.

"Hi, Shisui-sama," Rin greeted me while Hatake nodded in my direction.

Obito was so wrapped in whatever he was thinking about that he didn't look over to acknowledge me until Rin had spoken; even then I had to slap him to get his attention. Poor guy was wasting away drooling over that girl when she only ever appeared interested in their other teammate.

Obito attempted to explain that they were in a rush for something but it sounded like bull shit to me. I interrupted him to see why he was rushing away from our cordial gathering and after more mumbling nonsense from him, Hatake finally got irritated and answered my questions for Obito.

He didn't hesitate to expose why Obito was acting so weird. It turns out Obito was slightly responsible for the tatsumaki headed my way earlier. All the while, Obito's facial expressions transformed from flushed to pure hatred. I knew it. Bri was the center of the problem and Obito was responsible for making it more dramatic. Those two caused more distress with normal day-to-day functions than it's worth sometimes.

* * *

~Flashback from a Year Ago

I couldn't believe that I had just witnessed Bri almost drowning in a two foot bucket of water. She was trying to show me how to wash clothes with large stones and water so that even on long and weary missions I would have clean clothes. Instead of taking the job seriously, she decided to be cute and flirt with the only other guy by the river with us. I honestly did not give a damn about fresh clothes on missions, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings which I ended up doing despite my intentions when I couldn't control my laughter.

How could I with her legs kicking away in the air as she struggled to free her head from the bucket but couldn't due to suction that all of her hair caused? She started to keep her hair pulled into a bun on the top of her head after that near death experience with the watering pail. I'm glad for it too. I could finally see her face now that it wasn't being covered up by golden tangles.

But all things considered, her foolishness is nothing compared to Obito's. I still torture him about his loss to Gai during the Chūnin exams because he choked on candy. Long story short, it would not be difficult for the entire world to be destroyed if it was left in the hands of those two idiots.

* * *

~Back to the Present

I was recalling all of their idiocies when Obito dashed away. Damn he's fast when he's scared. He probably thinks I'll torture him for this too, but I don't plan on pranking him this time; ONLY because he thinking that I will would be torment enough. Besides, I am just too tired to really care.

I decided to head back home since I discovered what happened and that Bri was going to be okay. She was probably slightly impaired at the moment for me to talk to nonetheless. I managed to get home without any other bizarre distractions only to be stopped by my aunt, Mikoto, as I lugged myself into the house.

"Shisui-kun! I am glad to see you are alive and healthy! When do you plan on inviting Bri-chan over again?" She asked.

She had been asking this a lot lately ever since Bri mentioned that she enjoyed watching Itachi for her. This ultimately meant a lot of babysitting for me now too.

"I'm not sure. You know she's busy more and more now that she is a part of that new kunoichi-only team that never stops training, oba-chan," I simply responded as I climbed the stairs to my room.

"Okay, I understand. Itachi-kun has been asking about her a lot lately and I thought I would ask about her for him!" She said as she walked to his bedroom.

I knew it! She did just want a babysitter. Listen to her act like it was Itachi's idea. Yeah, right. I guess I better make plans soon because she is the type to keep asking until it happens.

I finally made it to my soft, cold bed when I heard knocking on the door downstairs.

"Shisui-kun, Minato-sama and Kushina-chan are here to speak with you," my aunt yelled from below.

It's not that I wasn't curious about why they were here to speak with me of all people, but I was just so damn tired that I remained in my resting position on the bed a little longer than I intended. I heard my aunt's faint footsteps approach my room and instead of knocking, she just came on in. She didn't stop there either; no sir. Next thing I know, I hit the wooden floor of my room face first as she dragged me from the bed with my ankles tightly gripped in her hands.

"Now!" She demanded.

I crawled my way to the door and used its handle to pull myself back into a standing position.

I was not about to have my face smashed again by another crazy upsurge from her. I noticed the look of determination on both of the ninja in front of me as I finally reached the main room. Lately, these older shinobi were asking a lot from the younger generations due to the war.

My stomach dropped a little knowing that the upcoming discussion was going to involve that topic. I don't understand why this couldn't wait though. Don't they understand that I am only twelve years old? I need sleep! Before I could voice my negative opinion, Bri's sensei reached out and hugged me.

"I'm glad that you have allowed us to speak with you at such late notice! It's just that we, Minato and I, have a deep conviction that we feel the Uchiha should be aware of since you are responsible for protecting the Tsutoni heir," Bri's red-haired sensei explained.

"We are aware of the pact that the Chief of the Uchiha made with the late Tsutoni clan head. We feel that you and Lord Fugaku should be alerted about Bri's whereabouts when she leaves on her own missions. Currently, she will be needed for a very important offensive attack. Her talent is required for this specific bout and was originally meant for her father. She is young, but this job is a vital one for the Hidden Leaf. I am requesting that you provide me with your faith and trust with her life since I will be in charge of leading it for this upcoming task," Obito's sensei concluded.

The reason he was speaking with me about this was not only because I was the designated watcher of Bri, but because my uncle was away with the war and unable to be present as well. I bowed respectfully at the guests for their courtesy and thoughtfulness and thanked them for their concern. They smiled and left shortly after.

"You are gaining quite a bit of respect lately. I am very proud of you!" My aunt said as she dismissed me.

I turned and saw Itachi peeking out of his room as I climbed the stairs again. I gave him a sly smile and finally clambered back into my welcoming bed.

* * *

~Bri's POV

"All right Bri. Remember all that we have been preparing for. This is your first official mission and act in this war. I want you to know that I am proud, impressed, and so happy with your growth and strength. I also have a little gift for you. Here, I know you will enjoy this," my sensei said as she handed me a silver locket in the shape the Tsutoni clan sun emblem.

I removed the headband from my neck and tied it onto my forehead as she helped me hook my necklace around my throat, replacing the spot my headband originally occupied. I opened it to see that it already had two pictures inside. The left image was our team photo while the right image was one of Shisui smirking.

"How did you get this of him?" I questioned.

"Remember the day I stalked you, Anko, and Kurenai? Well I was able to take snap shots of everyone you all were around too, you know! He made this face after your horrible fail at a surprise attack on him," she laughingly answered.

She then took me arm-in-arm to the Hokage for the briefing of my first real mission.

I entered the room with her and looked at my new temporary team. I recognized them all except for the girl. She greeted me pleasantly and Obito, Shisui's fun-going cousin, smiled in acknowledgement of my arrival. The grey-haired kid among them didn't look over at me.

Oh yes, I remember this one well. Had it really been 5 years since I had first seen him and that ungrateful attitude after I helped him get the medicine he needed for his father? We both had lost our fathers since then and we were both the last of our clans. I decided it would be polite if I greeted him even though he didn't appear interested in my arrival.

"Hi, Hatake. I see that you are still a bored-looking masked scarecrow!" I smiled at him.

I honestly meant it as a joke, but I felt him tense at my announcement even though he pretended not to hear me.

"Oi, Hatake! Princess Tsutoni is talking to you. It's rude to ignore your teammates, you know," Obito said in my defense.

"Fine. Hello, loud-mouthed little girl. I see that you no longer have the mismatched eyes or the tangled hair that you once possessed years ago. A much needed improvement," the boy finally responded.

Obito's mouth made a popping sound as it opened in surprise while Rin closed her eyes as if she were in deep prayer. Their sensei and the Hokage were in deep discussion and were completely oblivious to the conversation we were having. Kushina sensei; however, was not and looked harshly at the boy while I also stared at his uninterested expression in shock for about five seconds.

Those five whole seconds was all I needed because the next thing I did was tackle that asshole to the ground.

Unfortunately, he did not hesitate to fight back like I had hoped he would. Shisui would have at least, but why I would even think to compare this rude boy to someone with respect is beyond me.

Hatake flipped me over so my back was against the floor beneath me and pinned my wrists together over my head with one hand while the other held a kunai to my now exposed neck. I knew I shouldn't have moved my headband. I was not given the opportunity to free myself and fight back since my sensei did it for me. She kicked him off and into the wall opposite of us.

My new team captain and the Hokage immediately directed their attention to us at that point. There is only so much commotion that they can ignore.

"Okay…I see that everyone has been introduced then," Minato-sama said as he observed us, "we will be meeting at the West gate at sunrise tomorrow. We will discuss more about the plans as we travel to our destination. Oh and Kakashi, just because you have been promoted to jōnin does not mean that it is acceptable to put others down. I hope you have learned a valuable lesson."

Kakashi was still rubbing his bruised head as his sensei dismissed us.

Kushina left with her boyfriend (at least I think that is what my new temporary sensei was to her) leaving me alone with my new team. I couldn't help but notice Rin watching Kakashi worriedly as he continued to hold his head while Obito looked on with amusement and envy.

So Obito had a thing for Rin then! My mind started to race with the plots of getting them together on the long trip ahead tomorrow. Before I left them, I glanced over at Kakashi again. Maybe I shouldn't have tried joking with him, he was just too serious and in turn thought I was insulting him earlier and he received unnecessary punishment. I don't know what overcame me, but I just blurted out the apology I didn't intend to say.

"I'm sorry Kaka. I didn't mean to upset you," I claimed as I skipped gleefully away.

I didn't realize how stupid I must have sounded until I was halfway out of the building. Kaka? I am such an idiot! Now he is going to think I'm just like his other team mate: all dreamy-eyed and love struck when I clearly hate his guts.

"Bri-chan!" I heard Obito call.

He didn't waste time with formalities, thank heavens.

"Do you mind if I take you home?" he asked.

"No, not at all. But shouldn't you be asking that Rin girl? I saw the way you eyed her back there."

"Uh, Rin…well you see…I did and she said no. She was worried about Hatake having a possible concussion. Besides, I kind of owe you from earlier. I was the reason you messed up the storm. I sneezed and caught you off guard and you know it just escalated from there. I need to get back on Shisui's good side and by making sure you get home safely is a great start."

"Haha, I understand. Come on goggle boy."

We stopped several times on the way to my shared home. He insisted on helping every single old person we came across. I didn't realize we had as many as we did until now. When we finally got to my doorstep, I hugged him and told him to share it with Shisui for me. He blushed and waved goodbye.

He was so kind hearted. I hope Shisui isn't too bad to him. Supposedly, he had yet to activate his _Sharingan_. Shisui had awoken his when I was seven. It was my fault too whether he admits it or not.

* * *

~Flashback to when Shisui Activated his Sharingan.

I was climbing a tree with my feet like Shisui was teaching me when I stopped to rest on the safest looking branch closest to me. Apparently the crow that was on there with did not like sharing and started to fly at my face; clearly trying to peck me to death. Shisui was resting on a branch on the tree opposite of mine just laughing his ass away at my demise like he always did.

I was truly struggling to get away and I honestly thought that my only escape was to let go of the limb and fall, so I did. I was only seven so it seemed the best option at the time even though I now know how stupid that was.

"Bri! You stupid girl!" Shisui yelled.

As I made eye contact with him, his eyes reddened. He flew towards me before I even had time to register what I had witnessed.

* * *

~Back to the Present

I bet that is what Obito needed! If I can get Rin into danger, maybe he will react the same way Shisui did! I recalled the earlier plans of getting them together and elaborated on them. I was thinking about the "accidents" I was going to put Rin through as I drifted off to sleep.


	9. Part 2: Bri's Oath

This chapter will solidify a bond between Bri and Obito which adds to the background of her closeness with the Uchiha's since there will come a day that she will be a vital part in the clan! This part of the chapter also has her battle so if war and violence bothers you, I'm sorry! It's only at the end :) I do not own the characters mentioned in the story, only the Tsutoni ones. Thanks for reading ;) * wiki/Sugiki_Senju is the closest gear to what Bri wears.

* * *

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

~Bri's POV

I woke up entirely too early thanks to my excitement of the upcoming mission. I had never been outside the city before and couldn't wait to see what it was like outside my sheltered home. Hokkaidō wasn't even able to hold back my emotions today. I felt him chuckle and roll his eyes at my enthusiasm which surprised me. I haven't noticed him within me lately, so I guess I'm starting to adapt pretty well with the extra soul hanging out.

I couldn't lie still and eventually jumped out of bed, packed any last minute items I would need, and dressed as quickly as I could. My current outfit replicated a hero of mine that I had read about while at the academy.* The only difference is that I wore my hair tied high and out of my face with my purple headband around my forehead.

I left after saying my farewells to Anko, Kurenai, and her father and opted to walk to the Uchiha sanction to clear my mind and shake off my nerves. It just hit me that I was about to partake on an S ranked mission and have yet to even take my Chūnin exams!

Fortunately, I was distracted from the unnerving thoughts by a white tent set up in the middle of the road. My curiousness got the better of me and I peeked in. Surprisingly, it was occupied by an ancient man with long white hair, beard, and eyebrows.

"Hello pretty lass. I was expecting you and I have just what you need," the strange man spoke, "I have had two made hoping that you would come across my path."

I looked cautiously at the man. Two of what?

He grabbed a small velvet bag that was resting on the table behind him and pulled out two silver chain linked cords, each with one pale purple stone attached.

"Those are interesting, what do they mean and why did you make them for me?" I asked. I had way more questions, but I remember my mother collapsing walls out of irritation when I did that to her as a child, so I held my tongue.

"The silver chain represents friendship. The stones represent devotion. The stones will start to glow when a friend of the one who is wearing it is in danger," he explained, "Tsutoni's who possess the Hokkaidō will dream the truths of the future whether we can interpret them or not."

At that comment, he winked and snapped his finger. All at once, the tent and the old man were gone as if they had evaporated into the early morning mist. I would have thought that I was hallucinating had it not been for the two chains I held in my hand and the scroll that was left in the spot the tent was. Luckily, Hokkaidō kept me from hyperventilating in my crazed state of mind.

"Tsutoni, Nazo was his name. He died twenty-five years before your father was born. He was a vessel for me in his youth and dreamt about you before I was passed on to the next Tsutoni. It appears he sealed away the answer to the dream he had involving you being here for when the time came. I'm sorry that the reunion only lasted so long my lonely Bri," my partnered soul clarified.

I sighed in response and remained standing there for several more minutes trying to gather and comprehend what had happened. Eventually, I looked down at the chains in my hands. I wanted to give one to Shisui, but that would only leave one and it wouldn't be fair to Anko if I gave the second one to Kurenai. My gut told me to go ahead and take one to Shisui and keep the other one to give away to the right person. I would know who it was meant for when the time came. At least that is what I kept telling myself as I continued on my original journey to the Uchihas.

I found myself standing outside the closed gate of the Uchiha residence thinking about how I was going to get in this time. I needed to warm up my wind skills since I know I'll be using them soon, so I decided to gather wind and blow myself over the gate. I figured it would be the quietest approach. I silently moved my hands and inhaled the surrounding air. I turned my back against the gate and blew as softly as I could manage.

I levitated ever so slowly and scooted my butt onto the top of the gate. I then snuck over to Shisui's upstairs window once I was within the homestead. I attempted to open it, but naturally it was locked. I took an extra hair pin from out of my weapons holder on my right leg and before I could break my way in, the widow slung open.

I was nose to nose with a pair of black eyes that looked pissed off as hell. I leaned back so that I could prepare myself for the verbal lashing I was afraid I would receive.

"Do you have any idea what time it is, Bri-chan?!" Shisui questioned in a harsh whisper.

It was hard for me to take him seriously now that I had a better look at him. His hair was a curled mess and he didn't look as intimidating as he usually did without his uniform on. I felt odd about seeing him so _normal_; the need to lean in closer to him started to nag at me.

"Honestly no, but I have come bringing a gift!" I responded with a blushed smile.

Obviously, the present was just a lucky excuse. I wasn't about to admit that I was coming over just because I had nothing better to do.

"Is that so?" he asked smirking.

One day I will slap that smirk right off of him, but now was not the time. I did wake him up at dawn on his first day off. Off days were a luxury for the boy as they didn't come very often.

"Yes! Here, take this. I was supposed to be meeting Minato-sama and his team at the West Gate now, but I was interrupted by this insane experience that I would have thought was genjutsu if that could actually work on me. I know everything that I am saying is going in one ear and out the other, but just bear with me Shisui-kun. I will tell you all about my semi-real experience and your gift that came from it when I come home later! I don't want to be late! See you soon!" I rambled as I jumped from the window sill and onto the path to the West Gate.

I saw Obito running behind me as I left the Uchiha place; at least I won't be the only one late. I slowed down to meet him and we spent the rest of the run together. We met our team at the rendezvous point only to be reprimanded for our lateness by Kakashi.

"I understand that we are over an hour late, but we were on time until we got interrupted by some old people," I said.

I was reaching for some excuses and that one was pretty pitiful. Apparently, that was the honest reason for why Obito was late, so he just included me in his explanation as well.

Minato-sama stopped the arguing before it worsened and handed Kakashi an oddly styled kunai. I had completely forgotten the news about Kakashi becoming a jōnin and I bet Obito had too. Rin was next and gave Kakashi the perfect medical kit. I need to talk to her about making me one. Kakashi turned to Obito with his palm out.

This kid was really starting to irk me. Obito started to stutter when I remember the other chain I received from my dead ancestor.

"Obito, don't you remember? You gave his gift to me so that you wouldn't lose it!" I interrupted.

I opened my pouch and placed the chained stone into Kakashi's outstretched hand. He looked at it questioningly and then handed it back.

"This is for girls," he had the audacity to say.

Any self-restraint I had melted. For the second time this week, I tackled him. However, I was not about to let him get the best of me as he did with our first spat. I held his face into the dirt and explained to him what the chain stood for and how every great shinobi leader would only benefit by having one.

Minato-sama hoisted me off of the masked jerk to stop me from totally murdering the jerk. Kakashi glared death at me as he hooked the chain around his neck. I smiled politely as he faced Obito and thanked "him" for "his" gift. Rin stared on dumbfounded but seemed relieved when Kakashi finally accepted the present.

"I see why Shisui likes to keep you around," Obito said laughing.

We continued on the trail and stopped at a secluded location to set up camp. I tried to sleep, but it was difficult to do with Obito talking to his sensei about Kakashi's behavior and with the uneasiness that continued to prickle at me even with Hokkaidō suppressing my nerves.

My second soul eventually admitted that something dim was going to be happening soon which was why he was unable to contain my unwanted emotions.

I finally fell asleep to the deep sound of Minato's voice. I dreamt about Sharingan eyes but they were not shaped like Shisui's. I knew it had to be related to Obito in some way. The thought of him activating his Sharingan reminded me of my plots to help him activate his kekkei genkai.

I spent the next day exercising those schemes. The first thing I tried was a simple ploy to trip Rin up and have Obito worry and catch his damsel in distress. Unfortunately, he only made things worse. He was carrying some berries to snack on and instead of dropping them onto the blanket beneath his feet, he chose to keep holding onto them and catch Rin at the same time; thus leading to her being splattered and stained with the red- ripened berries.

The second attempt I tried was to scare Rin enough that Obito would run to her rescue. I carefully made a deep hole and placed my locket into it. I also summoned a super fuzzy and fat tarantula that I personally thought was kind of cute into the hole with it. I convinced Rin that because her arms were longer than mine that I needed her to retrieve my "lost" locket for me.

She did so willingly and completely unaware of my little surprise. She shrieked as the spider crawled onto her hand. Obito ran toward us like I had planned, but panicked and slapped her hand away at the last minute instead of being heroic.

The spider flew in route for me and landed on my head. I mentally thanked Obito for his failure at everything and gave up on my scheming as I discretely dismissed the spider back to his home. Rin was starting to get suspicious of me.

Our two captains remained oblivious to our actions the entire time and any communication we shared became silence as we reached our first place of danger. Kakashi requested to take control of the situation here and his sensei granted it.

I finally got to see the new jutsu he had been so urgent to show us. It was bright, loud, sharp, and beautiful. It was the complete opposite of its wielder who was dark, reserved, and boring. I helped defend my new teammate alongside my temporary sensei as he charged through the enemy numbers.

I could tell he was about to be in serious trouble when Minato-sensei teleported away from us. I gasped in amazement while Rin and Obito looked down at me smiling. It was my first time seeing the unbelievable technique in action. Their team was pretty much awesome.

After that small fight, we set up another camp. The next day, Minato-sensei gave us more specific instructions. Kakashi was to lead Obito and Rin to the Kannabi Bridge while Minato and I go to the main battle front. We would be regrouping at the bridge to destroy it as soon as we were finished with my part of the mission. Before we departed, the bad feeling I had experienced previously returned.

"Minato-sama. I don't feel well about this plan. Can't they just stay with us?" I asked quietly.

"Bri-chan, I know that you are much too young to fully understand our current predicament, but know that if there was any other way to complete this goal successfully; I would do so without separating us," he said.

I hugged Rin and Obito goodbye before facing Kakashi.

"Kaka-senpai, if something happens to either of them, my anger will haunt you every day that you see me. Stop following the rules so tightly and pay more attention to your teammates. We are your friends, your comrades, and your help," I scolded before turning to leave with Minato.

He blinked in surprise. "Kaka?" I heard him question as Minato and I walked away.

Nearly three hours passed when we reached the smoke filled battle field. I looked hesitantly up at my leader.

"Okay, Bri. Are you ready to put an end to this?"

"No sensei. I'm scared, look at them all. They have twice as many on their side than we do on ours."

"It's frightening, yes. Remember, I am right here to protect you and help you finish this," he said frowning.

"If you say so," I whispered.

I slowly walked into the battle with my eyes tightly closed. I allowed Hokkaidō to be my guide because the heavens knew I couldn't have made myself walk down there if I saw what was around me. I heard the surrounding area grow silent at my approach.

The fighters were taken aback by my small frame as I came to a halt. I didn't understand at first why no one was trying to kill me while I was blind and exposed openly in the middle of the battlement. It had to have been shock. They couldn't understand why the Leaf would send a child onto the battle without any obvious weapons for combat.

I felt my allies fall back behind me while the enemy remained motionless. Then, I heard a teenaged-sounding boy laugh.

"What is this madness? Is the Leaf being serious? Have they really sent us a child to be ripped apart? Surely they are not that desperate and low on shinobi!" He stated as he continued to laugh.

The others around him also began to laugh albeit more nervously.

I carefully pulled the pin from my top knot allowing my hair to fall loosely below my waist. Silence ensued again as I threw the pin and blinded the speaker that began the taunting. I slowly opened my eyes as I let the purple chakra seep through my veins and out into the air around me.

"Fall back! Disperse! You will die at her hands! Don't you see, she is the Purpled-Eyed Tsutoni of the Leaf!" I heard an elderly enemy ninja command.

He was as old as the Hokage and must have learned about my clan before we were decimated. Gasps seized the throats of my enemy as they realized that they were about to see a story straight from folklore firsthand.

I formed my hand signs and inhaled as quickly as I could before too many could respond and flee. Then, I exhaled my storm.

The ripping and tearing of earth, trees, and people echoed in my ears as I twisted and manipulated my tatsumaki. I could feel the damage as if I were doing it with my own two hands. I slammed the storm back into the Earth when I couldn't take its devastation anymore.

I watched the Yellow Flash teleport into the matching yellow mist left behind from my creation. The fog finally lifted and exposed the mischief I had made.

I was given an image that I will never be able to remove from my memory: broken men and women seemingly infinite around me. They were mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, cousins, friends, or whoever they were they were loved by. They were people _I_ killed, lives that _I_ stole.

I dropped to the ground and vowed to myself to never stoop to this level of destruction again. I will never kill another soul. I will simply tell the Hokage and whoever is in charge of my missions that I will not comply with their demands—never again.

I choked for air as my heart heaved in pain. Hokkaidō was repressing my foul emotions and by doing so, he left me struggling to breathe as my body physically wanted to cry, but my extra soul would not allow it.

"I was once told that the Tsutoni who carries the clan spirit cannot weep. I see that to be a true, but perhaps overstated. I see that you can't cry because your spirit protects you from the depressive emotions, not because you are callus like the legends state. I'm sorry for believing to heavily in the stories. I regret supporting the decision of bringing you into this now," I heard Minato-sama say in response to my reaction.

"Is not being able to cry a blessing or a curse, sensei?"

"A blessing. Many people would beg and plead to have the depression that haunts them every day alleviated from their conscience."

"Depressive memories will still haunt me. I just won't be able to act on them. I don't care about feeling the sadness. I really only want the memories associated with it to go away."

"I'm sorry princess. I will see to it that the Hokage and elders understand that you should not be brought into this any longer," he said as he lifted my aching body into his arms.

He carried me to the resting place stationed among our survivors.

"I must catch up with the others from my squad now. Please provide Princess Tsutoni with medical attention immediately."

I see why Kushina-sensei loved him. He was honest and caring but still able to keep a strong mind. _Shisui is a lot like him,_ I thought as I drifted off into unconsciousness.


	10. Dealing with Death

The mission is complete here! Once again, I do not own any of these characters, only Bri Tsutoni. Thanks for checking my tale out!

* * *

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

~Obito's POV

The stone around Kakashi's neck began to glow the second Minato-sensei and Bri departed from us. I don't know why or how Kakashi refused to acknowledge it; even Rin looked at it nervously.

"Captain, do you think we should be a bit wearier what with the stone glowing and us not having a leader bigger and stronger than us… with all things considered? You know the stone supposedly warns of danger approaching those that you care about…and it's just getting brighter…and…" I trailed.

I glanced back at Rin who was blushing. I wonder if she would have had the same reaction if it had been me wearing the chain. I seriously doubt it.

"Now is not the time to think about childish beliefs. I'm sure it's not really glowing; it's just the way the light is hitting it," Hatake responded.

Rin shivered slightly, clearly not accepting his excuse. How could he ignore the sense of unease that the charm was preparing us for? The feeling of doom was getting overwhelming. So much so, that all I really wanted to do was sit down and rock back and forth in a fetal position.

_No, I will not be afraid. I am elite. I am an Uchiha. I am strong. _I repeated to myself to ease my nerves and be brave for Rin.

By the time we reached a shallow river, Kakashi's stone was clearly a glowing gem that could blind anyone that stared at it long enough. He _still_ acted as if it there wasn't a bright lantern-of-a-warning beaming around his neck telling him to wake up and get ready to fight.

That was when it happened. The enemy lurched out of hiding and our spar began. There was so much adrenaline with our current fight, that Kakashi and I did not even notice the second enemy approach us from behind. I will never be able to forget hearing the scream Rin echoed out as she was taken captive.

_I am still haunted by her cry of fear._

* * *

~Fast Forward to Obito's Death

~Kakashi's POV

Obito had just admitted that he did not get me a gift, that it was Bri who saved him the embarrassment of his thoughtlessness. In turn, he trusted me with the possession of his left eye. He requested that I protect Rin and to always watch out for Bri.

He wanted me to ensure that Bri's kind personality stays with her and that his clan continues to honor their agreement with her deceased father.

Make sure that Bri Tsutoni is happy and unscathed by war? Obito was so naïve.

The "Purple Eyed Demon" she would soon be called if her part of the mission was successful. His little friend is going to be used to murder and bring military advantage to the Leaf. She will be abused and those that originally respected and cared for her will grow to fear her.

Then, the joy that she was once known to carry and share with others, will just be a legend; a long lost story right along with her dead clan. She won't be full of happiness but of hatred and shit. The same hatred and shit that was stored in me the night my father killed himself from the depression our village placed instilled in him.

That ten year old girl will be a hollow and bitter shell with a pretty face to hide behind. Fortunately, I did not have time to sit there and grieve for Obito's death nor for Bri's innocence being robbed along with his life. If I'm going to even attempt to honor my comrade's death wishes, then I will need to act quickly to protect Rin from other approaching Iwagakure ninja.

Minato-sensei arrived in time to keep Rin and me safe. I noticed that Bri was not with him and I feared that Obito's worries for her were in vain. Before I could comprehend the tiny girl really being dead, my sensei informed us that we would be traveling back from where he came to retrieve her.

We followed after him to the resting place that our wounded ninja were located. She was the smallest figure among those in the safety tent. She was still unconscious so Minato sensei gathered her into his arms and led our team away from the others for some privacy.

"She was close to Obito-kun on a relative basis and cares for him much differently than we do. What do we say when she awakens?" Rin asked softly.

Her face was still a delicate shade of pink from crying.

"That is not something I want you two to worry about. I will handle it," Minato said to comfort Rin.

I just sat there and imagined the hate that would dominate Bri's face when the truth would hit her. Three long hours passed and Bri had still not woken up from her comatose state. What had she done to put herself in such a fragile position?

"Rin, do you have enough energy to check her wounds to see what is causing her a delay in recovery?" Minato-sensei asked, bringing me out of my dark thoughts.

"I can try," Rin answered as she neared the resting princess with outstretched hands.

She placed her hands onto Bri's head and then began to examine the damage. Less than five minutes had passed when she suddenly jerked her hands away in surprise. Minato and I made eye contact to reassure ourselves that Rin knew what she was doing as she replaced her hands back onto Bri's head and spoke aloud.

"No. You will not push me away so easily. I have seen more ferocious dogs in the Inuzuka clan than you, Lord Hokkaidō," she boasted.

Suddenly, Bri began to quiver beneath Rin's hands and cough. Rin smiled down at the girl and pulled Bri's head up to her chest. She then began to rock her in a motherly like fashion. They were both children and Rin looked a little ridiculous playing "mommy," but it seemed to be soothing Bri from whatever pain she was in. Bri lifted her arms and hugged them around Rin's neck before she spoke.

"Obito-kun?"

"Princess, you see…he...died protecting his comrades," Minato answered for the missing ninja she called out to.

"That explains the nightmare that Rin helped me escape. But why do I sense him so near?" She softly replied, turning in my direction.

When her eyes focused on the one I had wrapped beneath bandages, her face transformed from peaceful acceptance into venomous denial. She raised her small right index finger at my replaced eye that was hidden behind the bandage she original focused on before mumbling something that I was unable to hear.

She leapt at me like a pouncing tigress and began to rip the dressings free from my face and for once, I did not feel like fighting back. Her legs held my waist down as she tore the remaining wrappings away.

Her fury hesitated momentarily when she gazed at the red eye staring back at her. Her fingers caressed the fresh scar gently. A gentleness that I had not expected compared to the previous wrath she launched with previously.

"So it was Obito's Sharingan that I dreamt about," she whispered to herself.

I was unable to respond; the caring state she was in mutated once again into rage. She looked over and glared at my right eye once more before she began punching my chest. She screamed out curses at me in between her violent jabs at my rib cage.

"You fuck face! You pathetic excuse of a self-absorbed arrogant, bastard! Bastard! That is exactly what you are! A fatherless piece of shit! Alone just like me! We're nothing but fatherless pieces of shit that the village will manipulate and use since we have no family to prevent that from happening. We…are…nothing, Kaka…" she shrieked as her punching subsided into pats and eventually stopped all together.

Minato and Rin looked at the ground as I sat up to level my face with hers.

"No, Bri. You are not like me. You are a princess of the Leaf, heir of the Tsutoni and daughter of a Sanin. You will not be a tool used for nothing other than violence. You are worth much more than that and your father ensured that you would remain so by linking you with the Uchiha clan. I did not think that someone like you, who is of the sun and of its warmth and happiness, would speak so lowly and cowardly. If you let this day and your make believe fantasy of being alone destroy who you are, then Obito was wrong about you. If he is wrong, then that makes me right. That means that you will be like me and that is a very pathetic place to be. Don't allow yourself to fall into the cursed nature of shinobi. Please, Bri-chan. I don't want to be right. Not today," I choked out, desperately holding back the tears that threatened to expose my true feelings.

She looked down to avoid looking into my eyes any longer.

"Is there something in your eyes, Kaka-senpai? It's possible considering the fact that you aren't wearing goggles. Why else would you be tearing up?" She giggled as she slid from my lap and collapsed onto the grass beside her.

The other two of our team sighed in relief.

"Now that everyone has accepted Obito's passing, let's go home. Bri, I will carry you half of the way so that you have a chance to regain some of your strength back. The medics that were watching over you before we arrived said that you would not have enough stamina to even become conscious as quickly as you did, much less have the energy to attack a friend. Look at them, I think they are very confused about your little charade of becoming a wild animal," Minato laughed as he knelt down to let Bri climb onto his back.

"I am a wild animal Minato-sama. Didn't Kushina-sensei warn you before we set out on this mission?" She teased back.

So she wasn't consumed in the hate that I had originally predicted. It gave me hope. Maybe this experience is what I needed— a chance to start seeing this world differently. I glanced up at the blonde girl. She was like the sun in so many ways.

I vaguely remember her close friend Uchiha Shisui saying that she was "lovelier than the sun" to her one day when he used to drop her off to her class at the academy many years ago. I wonder what she thinks of him, of me.

Why do I care about what she thinks about anyone or anything anyway? That little brat is starting to rub off on me. It's a good thing she has her own team that she will be placed back on after this.

* * *

~Bri's POV

I enjoyed the closeness I shared with Kushina-sensei's boyfriend. I felt the kindness of his spirit entice Hokkaidō which only made the joy within my heart dominate the sadness that tried to rule. I was able to accept Obito's death more quickly than I imagined because of it. I walked the second half of the way home alongside Rin. I attempted multiple times to say something—anything to her, but I didn't know what, so I remained silent next to her before we reached the village. I reached out and hugged her before we parted at the gate. I wondered how I would feel if Hokkaidō didn't camouflage my negative emotions. I wondered if it would feel as bad as Rin looked.

I was daydreaming away when I realized that I had stopped in front of the Uchiha gates. I hadn't realized that I was even headed here. I should have been walking to the Yūhi house instead; I really didn't have any business here and I felt awkward considering one of the family members that belongs here did not make it home as I did. I deliberated on entering or turning back when I felt someone near behind me.

"I can't say I'm surprised to see you, Princess Tsutoni," a mildly irritated voice spoke up.

"I…I honestly didn't intend to come here. I was a little distracted and my feet led me here. I'm sorry Fugaku-sama."

"No need for an apology. I've actually been meaning to give you this," he said as he handed me a gold key with the Uchiha crest engraved on the handle, "It's a copy of Shisui's."

"Oh… I don't know how to thank you for this! I didn't realize I harassed this part of town so frequently!"

"Yes, I was getting annoyed with your ability to sneak in unannounced and thought it best to give you your own key; especially considering the damage you have done to various sections of the gate when breaking in. Besides, you would have received one eventually. Better sooner than later I suppose. Now, what brings you here today?"

"I literally just got back from my mission and I guess my subconscious brought me here. I need to speak with you about Obito-kun, Fugaku-sama. I don't know how to…talk about the loss of family and he is a loss. He died protecting his comrades…I wish I could have been with them. Maybe I could have made a difference," my voice cracked as I elaborated my concern.

"I see. Thank you for letting me know first-hand that we have lost a member. I will discuss this with the others. To be honest, now is not the best time to visit my nephew, Shisui either little one. He has expressed a very irritable attitude while you were away. He was ranting about some purple stone glowing and how it was a bad sign. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you Princess?"

"My present! It works! Fugaku-sama, please tell him that I'm okay. The glowing was responding to his cousin's death. When he feels up to seeing me again, I will tell him _again_ what the glowing stone meant. I better go; I'm sure Kurenai's father is anxious for my return. Bye-Bye!" I smiled and bowed at the stern-and-confused-looking man as I left.

* * *

~Fugaku's POV

It has been many years since I had last seen another person other than Mikoto smile at me. The other officers spoke highly of Bri whenever she was in town and my personal family seemed happier and less stressed in her presence too.

"She will be a good thing for us after all, old friend Tsutoni," I said aloud, looking towards the sky.


	11. Itachi: the Five Year Old Conspirator

Disclaimer: No, I do not own the characters in my story other than Bri and another original character that was introduced in an earlier chapter! This particular one brings out Itachi's future relationship with Bri.

* * *

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

~Approximately 1 month later

~Bri's POV

Kushina sensei had discussed arrangements for our new team leader with the Hokage recently and she was to be meeting us tomorrow for our last mission with her. She had yet to specify why she would no longer be training us, but we had hoped she would elaborate more on the matter soon.

Tomorrow just so happened to be my eleventh birthday. The only information she provided us with about the mission was to "dress comfortably and be prepared to get exhausted." Anko, Kurenai, and I were deciphering what it was that we would possibly be doing that could have anything to do with her hint.

"I bet we'll be hunting for runaway pets again," Kurenai mumbled.

"No way! I bet we'll have to help elderlies with their daily chores like the last time," Anko suggested, frowning.

"If it is either of those, she wouldn't have told us to dress casually. We are still required to wear our uniforms during those missions, so this one must be an informal one. But, what? I can't think of anything that fits," I added.

"Hmmmm," we harrumphed.

"Let's just go to bed. We will find out what it is tomorrow anyway. Besides, we should really be thinking about what you want to do, birthday girl!" Anko said to break the silence.

We slept later than anticipated, and were rudely interrupted from our deep slumber by a pounding on our bedroom door. We jumped out of our beds hurriedly and raced to get dressed so that it would seem that we up and ready the whole time.

I decided on a simple white v-neck top with purple shorts while Kurenai pulled on a blue tank top over black tights. Anko wore a simple orange t-shirt with some wrinkled tan pants that still had a weapons sack tied around the right thigh. She giggled with a hand behind her head as we checked out her messiness.

The door was knocked off its hinges before we could open it for our pissed off sensei.

"Ladies! You three have been taking this long only to look like sloppy little children! Anko-chan, no weapons for this mission. You need to change your pants regardless; they are a wrinkled mess! Bri-chan, I understand that you like to keep your hair tied up with those hair pins, but sharp items are an unnecessary risk we will need to avoid for this task. Go take your hair down. Kurenai-chan! Well…you…never mind, it looks like you are the only one I can depend on these days," Kushina-sensei reprimanded us as we stood in shock at the broken door.

"Maybe we would have been ready properly and sooner if you had given us a bit more information to go by!" Anko smarted back.

"Shut up and change your damn pants you little heathen! Those green shorts you never wear will look cute with your orange t-shirt," Kushina replied.

"Ewww! No way! I'll just put on this red shirt instead. It will look good with the orange skirt I haven't worn yet," Anko smirked as she quickly changed into a more feminine outfit.

Meanwhile, I took my hair was down from the pins and examined the mess around my waist. Well, my knees at this point. I hadn't realized how long it had gotten.

"Wow Bri-chan. Do you wash your hair while it is still pulled up, or what? That is by far the craziest nest of hair I have ever seen. Here, let me fix that for you," Kushina-sensei said as she grabbed a brush and pushed me into the vanity seat close to me.

Maybe if she had almost drowned in a bucket of water because of her long hair, she wouldn't want to take it down either! She attacked my hair with full vengeance and it hurt. IT HURT. Tears threatened to escape and eventually did thanks to my soul protector's confusion by the end of the vicious cycle of combing.

My scalp was in pain, but I also felt something foreign stir in my chest. The last time anyone fixed my hair was my mother when I was a two year old. Had it really been that long since I had a mother figure in my life? I looked over at Anko and Kurenai staring at Kushina the same way I was. It had been a long time for them to have a woman look after us with such care too. The odd sensation my heart felt was clearly a longing for the mother-daughter relationship I had been without.

She finished brushing my hair and pulled it into a ponytail before tying it off with a white ribbon. She smiled as she inspected the three of us again and then pushed us out of the house and onto a familiar trail leading directly to the Academy.

"Umm, Sensei? Is there a reason we are headed to our old school?" Kurenai asked hesitantly.

Before Kushina answered, Anko screamed out, forcing us to stop in our tracks as she went on a wild confessing tangent.

"Noooooooo! We are _not_ going back there! We all passed the graduation exams and have done everything that we're supposed to do as good little genin! Except for that one isolated incident when I filled the public pool with snakes so that I, Bri-chan, and Kurenai-chan could have it to ourselves. And then there was that time that Kurenai-chan tricked the Hokage into buying the three of us all of the ice cream in the market place with her genjutsu because we couldn't decide which flavor we wanted. He shouldn't have fallen for that anyway! Oh, and there was that one time where Bri-chan dug a hole under the Hyūga main gate so that we could sneak in and see what was on the other side. She didn't mean to collapse the entire gate! It was just an accident!"

She really just had to yell that out for all the arriving students, their parents, and several villagers to hear. The Uchiha police force was still investigating that last part for the Hyūga clan too. Had I not sweet talked Shisui out of reporting our misadventures, we probably would have already been caught and punished by now. Our doom with that is inevitable at this point, thanks to that crazed blabber mouth.

"Mitarashi Anko. Calm down, way down," our sensei whispered looking as embarrassed as Kurenai and me, "the academy is short staffed and they need some free hands to watch over the younger classes. I have volunteered you ladies as substitutes. You three will also not be the only young shinobi group there either, so I hope you won't fail me at being the best little senseis you can be!"

We expressed our relief with sighs and followed her into a classroom filled with the youngest students enrolled. The four of us stood in front of the class, so I was able to scan the faces of all the kids we would be responsible for. The only one I recognized was Uchiha Itachi. I smiled at his large black eyes as he blushed at my attention. I saw him mouth something that looked like 'Nii-san promised to help me strengthen my fire release if I go through with this' to himself as he stared at his desk.

That was strange. Kushina smiled at us menacingly as she waved goodbye and said a quick "happy birthday" to me. _This is going to be interesting, _I thought as a student allowed these beetle things to crawl up to a weary-eyed Kurenai while yet another student urged his puppy to nip at Anko's ankles. I looked back at the children. Oh yes, this was going to be interesting indeed.

Shortly after introducing ourselves as the temporary teachers, we began the lecture that was left out for us on the stand to our left. The notes were boring as hell and too advanced for the five year olds that were attempting to listen. The ones that knew it already, or were simply ignoring it by sleeping, weren't going to gain anything with us just rambling on about chakra nature and chakra control and blah blah blah.

"I know! Why don't we take a break and play outside!" Anko said, breaking me and the bored students away from our zoned out train of thoughts.

We all agreed and Kurenai, being the perfect little substitute, managed to get them all into a line. I looked questioningly at Itachi who appeared to be whispering something incoherent to the bug boy and dog boy we met when we first arrived. We made it outside, and fortunately were the only class there. My team sat on the benches on the outskirt of the play area as we watched the class split into their different cliques. Itachi stood among the other two boys and spoke as if he were arranging a plan.

"That's so odd. Every time I have visited his family, he always kept to himself and barely said a word," I mumbled aloud to myself.

"Really? If I didn't know better, I would say that he was planning something," Anko said as she perked up to focus on the trio.

The three boys looked up at our direction simultaneously. Oh no.

"That's creepy," Kurenai claimed as she nodded support to our suspicions.

The bug carrier looked back at Itachi and then the Uchiha nodded. At that moment, the boy fell to the ground crying.

"Uh oh!" Kurenai gasped as she ran to the little boy before I could stop her.

She leaned down to soothe the fallen child. He accepted it and immediately replaced his tears with roguish laughter. Kurenai tried to break his embrace but he held on tightly as his beetles began to swarm from his arms and onto hers. The beetles began to crawl into her clothes and hair as she called out for help.

Anko and I looked at one another, unsure as to what we should do. We weren't exactly in the mood to be covered in insects either. Kurenai continued to squeal in disgust and fear while she spun around in circles.

"Aggghhhh! Kami oh sweet Kami! Why?! Why?!" She shouted.

At that moment, Anko and I leaped up to take over the situation. Before we could even get to her, the puppy that harassed Anko earlier charged her again in a surprise attack from behind. He bit her hard on her left ear which forced us both to startle out screams. Anko collapsed to the ground while the pup continued to pounce on her head. He refused to allow her face to escape his lick attack. Panic seized my heart as I realized that I was the only one left; that I would be the next victim.

If the other two attacks were warnings, they would be hinting that Itachi was to be responsible for the next ambush. I forced myself to stare back at Kurenai who was wiggling in some bizarre dance as she attempted to shake off the black bugs that covered her from head to toe. I then looked back at Anko whose shirt was torn to shreds by the young dog now. All the while, my eyes never stopped searching for the Uchiha whose plotting was the cause of this madness. For the love of Kami, I could not find the little imp.

Instead of handling the situation like any well-trained and sophisticated kunoichi would, I gave up my dignity and ran as fast as I could back to the school and away from the mess behind me. I had abandoned my comrades and the students I was responsible for. At least, I thought that was my plan until I tripped over the all-too-familiar black haired child I was trying to avoid.

"Ooof," I choked out as I ricocheted off of the young boy.

"Itachi! You better have a good excuse to whatever it is you are conspiring to do because if I find out that you did this on your own accord, I will be telling your father! I highly recommend that you stop your plans at once. Today is my birthday after all!"

I gained a new found confidence with each word I shouted. Why was I scared of this five year old again? Oh yeah. He _is_ an Uchiha and the first cousin of Shisui. If he is even half as talented as Shisui, my only advantage would be my age and experience at this point.

"Today being your birthday is the exact reason this is happening. Nii-san promised me he would help me with our clan's jutsu if I did this for him and I do not go back on my promises. Even for you, the prettiest girl in Konoha….at least that's what he says," Itachi replied.

His charcoal eyes twinkled up at my violent violet ones. I had never heard him speak an entire sentence like that. I also never imagined that he would bend to Shisui's will so easily. The little boy was power hungry enough to torture me! Looks like I will be talking to his father after all.

He pulled out a thin wire and began to encircle me with it before I could react to his statement. Next thing I knew, my arms were bound together against my back. I began to run away from the small devil only to be tripped by the same wire he continued to circle me with. I fell flat on my face and into the gravel as he, the bug boy, and puppy boy rolled me towards the swing set. They then began to roll me _up_ the support bars on the swing set and finished tying me to the top of the entire set with whatever was left of the wire.

I laid there with my face towards the bright blue sky as I listened to the growls coming from my other two team mates about another squad headed our way. I remembered Kushina-sensei mentioning other younger squads subbing today too. I began to pray with all my heart that we would not recognize any of them whenever they decided to bring their classes out here. I knew we would not be escaping this humiliating defeat anytime soon.

I did my best to turn my head to my suffering comrades from my precarious perch and noticed that they had also been tied up. Kurenai was left on the ground squirming while Anko was tied onto the bench we had occupied minutes before.

"All of this, all of this trickery caused by three five year olds," I heard Anko cry.

The best case scenario would be to have Kushina-sensei find us. The worst would be that the next class to come out here would be subbed by those we know.

That was when I heard the dreaded laughter. Uchiha Shisui, Gai, Genma, and a girl's voice I was not familiar with exclaimed their shock at the same time as their students did when they reached the playground.

I avoided turning my head into their direction. No way in hell was I about to make eye contact with any of those fools right now. It wasn't like I was able to turn my head that well regardless. I heard the girl speak again.

"How weird. Their students are just sitting so politely in a circle playing duck-duck-goose while their teachers are clearly incapacitated. It must be very humiliating to be overtaken by five year old children. I wonder what the reason is behind all this," she laughed before speaking again, "oh, would you look at that one on top of the swing set! If I didn't know better, that blonde hair belongs to the Tsutoni clan. I thought they could handle anything. What a shame that the last of them can't even supervise a class of babies; not even with two other helpers!"

Well, one thing was for certain. That bitch was on my hit list right under Orochimaru. I listened to my so called best friend and mastermind behind the whole ordeal, Shisui, rolling on the ground laughing his pathetic heart out while Gai rushed over to save Kurenai.

"Oh, my lovely flower! What monster would have done this to such a beautiful creature?" He boomed as he uncoiled her.

I giggled at the face I imagined Kurenai making. Poor Anko was just bypassed on the bench. I heard Genma eventually step in to help her. She must have given him a "help me now or you will die" look. I then heard Shisui's annoying laughter stop so he could speak.

"In their defense, I had no intention of my little cousin really pulling this off. He must really want me to help him develop his jutsu further like I promised. Happy Birthday Bri-chan!" He said with tears streaming down his face from laughing his stupid ass off.

I know Itachi admitted that fucktard was responsible for this, but I didn't want to believe it. How on Earth had he convinced the stoic Itachi to go along with this just for some senseless advancement of a jutsu he already knew?

"Ugghhhhh, Shisui-kun! You are a dead man!" I screamed as I wobbled and shook the swing set, trying to free myself from it.

I had managed to loosen the wires just enough that I started to roll off the bar. My body remained wound up and I knew that this half-way thought out escape plan was a bad idea as the ground got closer to my free falling form. Shisui reached me before I smashed into the rocks. He continued to laugh away at my suffering during his heroic moment. He thinks he is _soooo_ clever.

"If you kill me, then I guess you won't be getting your second birthday surprise."

"Another surprise?" I spat.

"Of course, Bri-chan. I didn't bribe Itachi into torturing you today for nothing!"

"I don't know… I'm not really in the mood for any more of your surprises. I think my reputation is scarred enough, thank you," I dismissed him and walked towards my now free partners.

Itachi stood up from his quiet seat in the circle his "civilized" class was in and grabbed my hand to stop me from leaving Shisui behind.

"I'm sorry," he simply said and then walked back to his classmates that had now formed a line back into the school.

I sighed and looked over at Shisui again. His eyes reminded me of a puppy dog and I couldn't help but smile back. I finally decided to check out the girl that had the smart remarks earlier and noted that she was Shisui's age and could easily pull off being an Uchiha herself. Other than that, I didn't acknowledge her. I can always ask Shisui about her later and I was not in the mood to start an argument with such a foul individual.

* * *

~That night after Bri's team celebrated a mini party for her

Anko and Kurenai helped my into the red silk dress I had purchased after our "mission" for whatever it was Shisui had planned for me. The dress was long and had a knee-length split on the left leg side with a white cherry blossom pattern. My friends knew about his plan (not including the prank), but had managed to keep it a secret the entire time until now.

Kurenai took my freshly washed and dried hair and brushed the never ending tangles from it. She then inserted a red cherry blossom clip into my hair to pull my bangs away from my face. They began to giggle as we heard her father answer the door.

"Now you listen closely, Bri has grown up with Kurenai and has been adopted into our family for over a year now and I view her like another daughter. She is only eleven so if I hear even the smallest hint of a rumor that anything unruly happened between the two of you, I will not hesitate to kill you whether you think I can or not," the intimidating father warned.

"I understand Yūhi-sama," Shisui replied with a bow.

My friends pushed me out from our hidden spying position and into the family room where Shisui and Kurenai's father were staring at each other.

"Finally Bri-chan! I thought you would never be done," Kurenai's papa sighed.

"Whatever! Let's go," I teased, grabbing Shisui's hand and leading him out of the house.

He then wrapped a blindfold around my eyes as he took the lead of our walk. I sensed water and trees nearby as he came to a stop.

"Come on! I'm ready to see whatever it is!" I pleaded.

"Okay, okay!" He said as he removed the blindfold.

I was surrounded by yellow lilies; my favorite color of my favorite flower.

"There are eleven of them. I thought you might like them since I see you stare at them whenever you pass the Yamanacha flower shop. Oh, and here's this," he explained as he handed me a small box.

I opened it gleefully and found a pair of sun shaped earrings. They were the same shape as the locket my sensei gave me to match my family crest.

"This is…it's more than perfect. I don't think I can ever thank you enough!" I exclaimed.

He lowered his face so that it was level with mine and smiled. He then winked as he kissed my right cheek. After we devoured the strawberry cake he had his aunt make for me, he took me straight back to my home thirty minutes early to ensure that he remained on my "father's" good side.

I blushed the rest of the night when Anko and Kurenai bombarded me with questions about what happened. I told them that I would talk more about it the next day. I drifted into a deep sleep (surrounded by my eleven bouquets of lilies) as I thought about the raven haired girl from the playground.

_I started to dream about her and her scheming against me. My dreams then led me to a child who was about three. He had curly black hair and mismatched eyes. One was gold while the other was black. I dreamed of white snakes, of an orange mask, and of a baby with hair as yellow as Minato-sama's._


	12. Dream Decoding

Sorry for the late update! I've been busy doing mommy-of-a-three-year-old things. This chapter will answer some questions about the dreams from the previous chapter.

Disclaimer: I only own the Tsutoni.

* * *

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

~Bri's POV

I awoke the next morning with a determined mindset of discovering the meaning behind the haunting dreams. Hokkaidō suggested that I ignore them, but how could I when I knew they all impacted my future? My decisions could be influenced if I knew what life-changing things were going happen before they happened! What is the point of seeing the future if I can't change what I don't like about it? Hokkaidō quickly threw his worries against mine.

"_Little Tsutoni, even if you know what the dreams represent, you cannot will the future into changing. When you realize what they mean, you may not like the answer. Then, my young vessel, you will be left knowing that something unfortunate may occur that you cannot prevent,"_ he warned.

I disregarded his belief. The future can always be changed. He's just too old and stuck in his ways to get that.

_"Thought like a true adolescent Tsutoni," _I heard him smirk.

I rolled by eyes and decided it best to return to the abandoned Tsutoni home for the answers of interpretation I sought. Today was my team's last off day before we begin training for the Chūnin Exams Kushina-sensei had yet to talk to us about, so I needed to go there now or it was never going to happen.

I checked in on my roommates to see if they would mind me leaving for the day. Anko mentioned that she would be resting and "attending to feminine needs" as she called it. She was only 12, but I think I had an idea as to what she was referring to. I dread that day when I have to do the same. On another note, Kurenai said that she would be hanging out with an older classmate by the name of Asuma.

She blushed when I asked her to elaborate since the kid was not in our class, but she didn't give me an exact answer. She also reminded me about our last team meeting with Kushina-sensei later that day. I can only assume that she had a crush, but wasn't ready to talk about it yet. I can investigate that later and I thanked her for reminding me about the meeting. I had completely forgotten about it!

As I headed to my old home, I pondered the symbols of my dreams. I dismissed the white snakes first. Anko has white snakes and as far as I know, Orochimaru will not have a need to bother me again after his failed attempt at capturing the Hokkaidō confirmed that it can't be done. Instead, I focused on the toddler with black curls when my thoughts were quieted as I stumbled into the courtyard of the ancient Tsutoni people.

My father's family lived here even before the Hidden Leaf was established. I looked at my surroundings and felt a light tug at my heart. Hokkaidō began to whisper and the next thing I knew, he placed a purple haze over my vision and began playing a flashback of the ghastly grounds around me.

_There was laughter as a boy of at least ten years of age was chased by three younger boys. All with long blonde hair hanging loose over their shoulders, all clearly brothers, and each one year apart from oldest to youngest. _

_The youngest, of about seven, had one black eye and one gold eye. His personality was also the fiercest among them as well as the most similar to my own. The oldest boy boldly claimed that he could make the strongest wind bullets since he was the only one that would be an official genin the next day. _

_The youngest accepted his challenge just as boldly. The oldest smiled and began to form the hand signs necessary to create his so-called bullets. At last, he exhaled the amount he saw fit to best the youngest sibling's. The two middle siblings smirked at the smallest child and taunted him to create bigger ones. _

_The baby of the family smiled as he formed the hand signs as well. His wrists molded the signs differently in a way that the brothers around him did not appear to notice. He inhaled the air but instead of releasing the same chakra infused air, he released a wave of water. The brothers cried out in surprise—_Tsutoni_ didn't affiliate with water, but many _Senju_ could. A woman with darker blonde hair and gold eyes who looked the most like her youngest child raced outside to acknowledge what the boy did before his brothers could react from the shock._

_"Katsu! I knew it! I knew as soon as you were born that you would favor my family!" She exclaimed._

_They all looked at her in disbelief. Apparently, they had never seen her express any interest in any of them until now. The older three looked enviously at the youngest as he beamed at his mother and basked in the sought-after attention. She grabbed him into a bear hug and quickly released him to regain her tough exterior. _

_"I must go tell your father of this news," she said sternly as she headed back into the house._

_Little did they know that beyond the nearby trees, was a ghost of a man possessing snakelike eyes gleefully watching on._

The scene abruptly ended. I gasped and collapsed to the ground. It was overwhelming to say the least. I tried to swallow as I remembered my own encounter with the snake. It was eerie seeing my brothers alive and playing, seeing my mother in a different light, and hearing laughter after seeing those same boys decaying on cave walls, and watching my mother drink away the constant death she was exposed to.

Those were _my_ brothers, that was _my_ family, a family that should have been doing all of those happy things now. It was so incredibly overpowering. I sat there for at least ten minutes while Hokkaidō struggled to reign over my emotions. I was the first female vessel; therefore, he was not used to the layers of emotions girls experience simultaneously and he desperately fought to control them and manipulate them all into positive ones. We both agreed that it would be best if he did not do expose me to the past again unless it was necessary.

He finally succeeded in calming me so that I could continue on into the empty house and focus on my original intention. The emptiness was creepy and I was glad that I was never alone. I always had a purple wolf to ease my nerves!

I went directly to the wall that held past family photo albums. My first goal was to see if I had any family with curly hair. As far as I knew, we all had long blonde hair. After I finally saw what my brothers looked like (my mother kept any images of them hidden away my entire childhood), I knew that the bi-colored eyes could occur in other members besides myself.

If that rarity could exist, I assumed that curly, black hair could too. In this case, maybe the dream was about an important relative of mine. I hunted through generation after generation but did not see any dark hair anywhere on the Tsutoni side of my heritage. The best bet was to go through my mother's Senju side. She is the reason I and my brother had one gold eye, so maybe the recessive trait would be found there.

After even more failed searching, I decided to give up. There were too many Senju with black hair, and none of it was curly and none of them looked remotely similar to the boy from my dream. I did note the red haired lady wed to my mother's grandfather. I recalled in school about the red hair being an Uzumaki trait, so there was a change that I was related to Kushina-sensei!

I laughed at the notion but couldn't stop thinking about the dream toddler. There was just something about him that seemed so familiar, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. I decided that the boy could wait when I came across a scroll titled Hokkaidō Possessed Tsutoni Prophecies. This scroll could have all the answers I needed!

I decided to take the scroll along with me so that I could read it at a later time. Who knows what kind of information I could gather from that mystical parchment? I continued to search for other scrolls that could help with decoding dreams; one like a symbol representation or anything similar to that, but there was nothing to be found. Perhaps the previous Tsutoni took the spirit seriously when he suggested keeping the answers about the future secret. I really didn't feel like debating that with my spirit again, so I decided the next goal would be to learn about that raven haired girl from the previous day and headed away from the uninhabited Tsutoni building.

I searched throughout the village for Shisui's chakra. I knew he would tell me more about the girl without realizing my true intentions. At least, I was hoping he wouldn't. I finally sensed him inside the Uchiha gates and lo and behold there was that girl's unfamiliar chakra next to him. I had to abandon my original idea of asking him directly about her, and try a more secretive approach since she was around.

I transformed into a fifteen year old Uchiha girl (I knew for certain was not a ninja) to easily blend into the surroundings. I had met many Uchiha ever since Fugaku-sama basically gave me permission to come and go as I please and the girl I appeared to be was as mean as an Uchiha can get. I needed to keep others from stopping to talk to me and her bad attitude was the best bet.

I continued to near the two as inconspicuously as I could manage. So far, everything was going good and would continue to do so as long as the girl I was pretending to be didn't show up. I released a built up sigh as I finally reached the place I wanted to be in order to spy on the two friends. I squatted beside a large blue trash bin closest to my prey and heard laughter coming from the girl.

"Hahaha, Shisui-kun you are so cute! Why are you making excuses for that wild haired little girl?" The Bitch asked.

"Come on Dao-chan. She is way tougher and more intelligent than what you saw. She was just completely taken off guard and distracted with that day being her birthday and everything," he responded sarcastically back.

Thank you for protecting my honor, dear friend. Wait; did he just call her Dao-chan? I vaguely remember him telling me the names of his two teammates, but I just assumed Dao was a boy. It sounds manly anyways! If she were to cut off her hair, she would sure as hell look like a boy too. The she-man continued to giggle at him.

"Look, I get that you have to marry her under the pact our clan made with her dead daddy, but why do you treat her like you want to? You know you are too mature for the little pest, and let's face it, she will never be good enough for an Uchiha. It's not like you have to belong to her until you are actually married either. Our elders don't expect you to want to like that or even be faithful about it later! Why don't you loosen up and start hanging out with me and some of my friends?" She suggested.

Oh. My. Sweet. Kami. This girl had no idea what she just stepped into. I was about to jump out and beat her down for attempting to seduce a thirteen year old boy when Hokkaidō, being the good-deeder he is, put my temper back in place and told me to think before I act. So I did.

Reason one for not attacking her: she was an Uchiha surrounded by Uchihas. They would not take kindly to me whooping her ass even if they all liked me. Reason two: she had just insulted my deceased family and I was not about to give her the satisfaction of caving into her ignorance.

Who talks about the dead that way? Oh yeah, whores with no class. I fully understand that clans as powerful as the Uchiha do keep marriages within the family (albeit very distant cousins) to make sure that the kekkei genkai remains in the family, but she didn't have to disrespect Fugaku's and my father's pact by saying that. My dream about her scheming was already in effect, so I knew that could only mean that it would get worst as I got older. Fan-freaking-tastic.

I rolled my eyes as Shisui baited her into more laughter. It wasn't until then that I realized the full impact of an arranged marriage from her point of view. Would I even love him later on the way a wife should love a husband? Would he return the feelings or would he cheat on me like Dao hinted at? It's not like he and I ever talk about those things when we hang out. I just assumed he liked me the way I liked him, but those feelings can change easily obviously.

Why do I care anyway? It's not like I saw Shisui as a boyfriend. He was just a best friend that was a boy. A very cute boy. That's all. I felt my inner spirit roll his wolf eyes urging me to forget about the whole mess. I needed to focus on the other aspects of my dreams and on my future chances at becoming a Chūnin besides.

I slipped away from the two and poofed back into myself. I was about to stroll on back to the main gate when I stepped on some trash nearby, slipped, and flung right back into the blue garbage can I was hiding behind previously. Luckily, a flash of grey hair not only caught my attention, but the attention of the couple I was spying on too.

Outsiders weren't uncommon, but they usually came in pairs. Even then, they almost always had an Uchiha friend among them. The only reason I could think of Kakashi being here would be to visit Obito's old home. I saw a few glances and even glares from the Police Force officers that were currently in the area intended for the stranger; all of which were completely unnoticed by their target. My curiousness got the best of me as I followed him deeper into the Uchiha marketplace instead of exiting it.

This also meant that I would give away my hiding place and walk right past The Bitch and Shisui. I ran as quickly as I could past them and jumped from window pane to shrub and vise-versa so that it looked like I was stalking the outsider. I made sure that my whole focus was on the grey-haired boy in front of me to keep up the act.

I laughed in spite of my better intentions which also caused a few glares from the officers that watched me hop around in their territory knowing full well that only an idiot would not know that they were being followed. I came here disguised so that I could find out about a stupid girl that Shisui seemed to like and ended up exposing myself nonetheless. Oh well, I better just roll with it.

We quickly arrived at Obito's apartment. I remained hidden as best as I could, but I could tell Kakashi knew he had a lurker. He hesitated and turned in my direction before shrugging his shoulders and climbing into Obito's unlocked window. I followed suit, but remained perched outside of the window in order to eavesdrop.

"Obito, I messed up. I didn't protect Rin like I promised. Maybe I will die soon too, even though the war is at an end. I have nightmares every night since it happened…" Kakashi continued to whisper more about why he was visiting.

I didn't hear the rest; all I could hear was Hokkaidō's continuous howls as he struggled to keep my anger from dominating. My ears grew hot as I thought about Minato-sama's irresponsibility. How could he let this happen again?! I dropped from the window and ran.

I loved the gusts of wind slapping around me. Running was something I was beginning to enjoy and I felt a sense a freedom at the thought. An unnerving vibe knocked on my subconscious as I thought more about running. Running may not be such a great thing after all. It is for cowards.

I continued my run all the way to Kushina sensei's house. She would be able to explain why her boyfriend allowed Kakashi's team to be killed off when he was already so alone. I remembered her request to meet with Anko, Kurenai, and myself this evening so I knew that I would not be barging in completely unannounced.

I knocked repeatedly at her door until it opened. Minato-sama answered my endless knocking with a smile.

"Princess, I'm happy to see you. Kushina and I have important news we would like to share with you and your team mates," he said as he continued to smile down at me with his deep blue eyes.

He really didn't care about Kakashi or how the young shinobi could be suffering; not if he is smiling like that. I did not return the smile, but kicked the back of his knees and brought him down to my level.

"Well I am **NOT** happy to see you. First you allowed Obito to die, and now Rin. Do you even have the slightest clue about how Kakashi could be feeling?! What are you going to do to about this! If he sinks deeper into hate and despair, then you have failed him!" I ranted at his surprised face.

He was about to respond when my Red Hot Habanero of a sensei intervened by kicking my butt so hard it flung me through the entry hall, past the den where I saw my teammates and Kakashi sitting all with widened eyes, and into the closed door at the opposite end of the hall.

"Bri-chan! You impish brat! I know that you are angry and I know you have a right to feel that way, but it is time you stopped acting like a child and act more like the princess shinobi you should be! You need to control your mouth!" She yelled.

"Yeah, right! Like you have all the room in the world to talk! You're the one egging us on all the time into keeping our 'boisterous personalities' and to always voice our opinions when we strongly feel for something!" I countered.

"Don't you sass me, baby Tsunade! Don't you even think that Minato-san feels close to what you do? Obito and Rin were his students for Kami's sake! He is suffering much more with this than you or Kakashi could imagine! It's high time you started respecting your superiors and think about others feelings other than your own! What the hell is your Hokkaidō doing in that thick skull of yours? Isn't he supposed to help you cope with these things? Stop letting her boss you around!" she continued to scream, turning her attention to the ancient ghost inside of me.

A growl that was not mine, escaped my lips as she continued to glare down at my defeated form propped up by the door she kicked me into.

"How dare you compare me to that vile woman and interrogate my soul woman!" I rebutted to compensate for the feral growl that the stupid spirit made me do.

"Girls, girls. Let's sit down and take a minute to breathe and relax," Minato-sama softly interrupted.

As much as I hated to admit it, he was a miracle worker at soothing rocky tension. He lifted me and stood me back up before returning his attention back on his love. He took her hand and led her to the den where my friends were sitting. They all refused to make eye contact with me. I was taken aback with Kakashi's presence. He was just at Obito's house and I swore I left before he did.

"We have exciting news that we have been waiting to announce once the war came to an end!" Kushina began.

"I will be taking the position of Hokage starting tomorrow, and Kushina will be having our child this autumn," Minato ended.

They blushed while the four of us reacted differently to the news. Kurenai jumped up and immediately drowned the two with hugs, Anko paled and fainted, Kakashi's eye widened in surprise, while I remained silent and stared embarrassingly at the floor. I wouldn't have had a shouting match with her if I had known of the infant sucking the life out of her. Stress is bad for babies; at least that is what I've heard. The news itself was slightly unsettling too.

I wanted to be happy for the two, but something was preventing me from acting on it. Once again, Hokkaidō barged into my confusion.

_"Female jinchūriki are the most vulnerable during childbirth. One of your ancestor's witnessed desolation in the midst of a birthing ritual that became uncontrollable hundreds of years ago. The distant memory within me is causing your hesitation in celebrating this. Don't worry; it is almost impossible for such an occurrence to happen again. Minato will not allow that."_

I smiled in relief and was able to express my joy, even if it was still a little hesitant. This also answered the part of my dream about the yellow-haired infant.

Now, all that was left was the mystery behind the child with the miss-matched eyes and the orange mask. I had completely forgotten about the mask. I was thinking deeply about it while Anko, Kurenai, and I stayed at Kushina's home after Kakashi had been dismissed along with Minato-sama to have their own discussion.

"All right girls! I have one more thing I need to discuss with you. It's regarding the Chūnin Exams," Kushina sensei began, "obviously my leadership will no longer be sufficient enough to prepare you to pass them. So, I have spoken with the Third Hokage as well as Minato and they agree that your new captain, or captains I should say, will be a team led by a jōnin level shinobi that you may have met while subbing the other day. Your captain is Uchiha Shisui who will be sharing the role with his teammates Uchiha Dao and Shiranui Genma," she winked at me.

Originally, this would have been great news. However, I and my nosy self just had to go snoop out some information about The Bitch and overhear how the she-man felt about me. Now, she was going to be in charge of me too? Sigh. I dread tomorrow.

That night, I was the last to fall asleep.

_I dreamt of an orange mask again. This time I focused on it. The mask had one exposed eye, a Sharingan. It did not feel friendly. I ran. I felt the desire of freedom again as I fled from the evil that seeped from the mask. _

_Black oozed around me as I continued my journey as far from the mask as I could. That was when I found the boy with curly black hair and one gold eye. The black eye I recalled him having before was missing. I stopped running to stare at the child. He smiled up at me and reached behind his back to grab something._

_He pulled out a tantō he had strapped around his abdomen that happened to mirror Shisui's. I gasped at the connection. The curly hair I knew that was so familiar resembled Shisui's. Everything about the child reminded me of an Uchiha except for the gold-eyed gleam. As I stared, it transformed from honey colored to purple, to Sharingan red, to black, and then back to gold. The color cycle continued, mesmerizing me._

_I would have gaped at the color wheel the remainder of the dream had the orange mask that I was avoiding had not caught up. The mask ignored my presence and looked at the three year old child. I placed myself between him and the mask. I forced myself to look into the eye within the orange shield. _

_Genjutsu did not scare me. It did not work on Tsutoni, so what could this thing think it could do to me or the child if I stood here? The mask glared and then looked down at my stomach. The Sharingan transformed into something more advanced and the mask then flew __**through**__ my hardened stomach and glared at the boy I was hiding. Suddenly, the little one I sought to protect disintegrated into dust._

I awoke to my cries as Kurenai and Anko soothed my panicked heart. Hokkaidō grimaced as he slowly began to understand his predicament of being within a female host.


	13. Training with Team Shisui

Procrastination is a curse. Thank you for hanging in here with me as I took FOREVER in updating this! I do not own Naruto characters, scenes, storylines, or any of that good stuff. Also, my good friend Smile-besthingintheworld has written a one shot for me in regards to Bri and Kakashi so go check it out! If you recall from the last chapter, Bri had a nasty nightmare. I'm sure you are wise enough to have an idea about what holds for her future years from now…^_^

* * *

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

~Shisui's POV

Again, and unfortunately, my fourteen year old cousin/teammate asked to hang out. She was really starting to get overbearing and even more obnoxious since I celebrated Bri's birthday. Bri's my best friend, damn, that's what best friends do. Now, all of a sudden, Dao won't leave me alone. She was cool until she went through that puberty thing and now she's all needy and whiny and is getting on mine and Genma's nerves. She recently almost cost us a mission because the enemy accidentally elbowed her boob! She just fell to the ground like she was in the most agony ever. How bad could it have hurt, honestly?

"Are you listening Shisui-kun? So, are you in or what?" She asked…again.

"No, Dao-chan. We're going to meet the genin we're responsible for later to today. You can just hang out with me then," I answered her bluntly.

I hate hurting girls' feelings, but I just can't take her anymore. She only ever wants to talk about Bri when we do chill together and a guy can only tolerate bitching for so long.

"But…but Shisui-kun, don't you want to hang out? Just you and me?" She continued to plea.

"No, not really! I have plans and stuff."

"You are such a rotten liar! You're just in a bad mood because Baby Bri was stalking that Hatake guy on your side of town and she didn't even take the time to stop and talk to you. I think you're jealous."

"What?! I could care less about what she does with her free time. I'm not in a bad mood about that, but with your nagging ass! You are beyond annoying! Go away, Dao, I'll see you this afternoon."

"Ugh. Don't act like you don't like my annoying ass," she replied with a ridiculous attempt at seduction as she stomped away.

Gross. She can try to be cute all day long and no man alive would touch that teenaged lunatic. Honestly, I don't know why she seemed to have a thing for me. We're both Uchiha, very distant cousins, but still, does that not freak her out?

I had procrastinated planning out a training regime for my new students and I spent the next few hours finishing it before it was time to meet them.

"Nii-san, do you know who the genin will be?" A soft voice behind me asked.

"No, not exactly. I was given their ages, but that was it. I think they wanted it to be a surprise," I replied to Itachi.

"Oh, okay. Do you think Bri-san will like them?"

"Huh? That's an odd question. She's not going to be their boss or anything so her opinion really won't matter."

Itachi gave me an affronted look before he responded.

"I know that she's a close family friend and she likes to come here a lot to spend time with us. Mother thinks that she is a jealous type and may not like the idea of you spending time with other people, especially if they're girls."

"Haha, is that so? I guess she'll just have to suck it up and deal with any fan-girls I'll acquire!" I teased.

Itachi clearly did not understand my jest since he simply raised an eyebrow at me.

"Look, don't worry about those things Itachi-kun. I know you like Bri-chan's company and I promise you that it will not be in jeopardy because I have new trainees. So, stop fretting about it."

He smiled at my reassurance and left me to finish my work.

Twelve o'clock arrived before I knew it. I really wouldn't have known it was time to go if it wasn't for the harsh knocking Dao was ensuing on the front door downstairs.

"Hurry up! Let's go meet the twerps!" She called out.

"All right! Damn, I'll be outside in a minute," I yelled back.

I tied the tantō around my chest and glanced at the metal chain Bri had given me months ago. The stone centered in it had not glowed since the day Obito died. Maybe the worst and most difficult part of my shinobi life was over now that the war was done. Peace treaties were already in effect. I opened my bedroom door, headed downstairs, and noticed a very irritated Aunt Mikoto glaring at Dao.

"Genma-kun is probably already at the meeting point," Dao scoffed.

I huffed as she grabbed the collar of my shirt and attempted to drag me outside.

"I suggest you release him before I teach you manners, little girl," my aunt scolded in the coldest voice I didn't think was possible from her.

Dao blinked in surprise and loosened her grip to let me go. She bowed her head at my aunt and quickly walked outside. I smiled gratefully at my savior and followed my pissy teammate.

* * *

~Rewind back to Itachi's POV

Mother and Father were arguing again over our breakfast meal. I silently listened to every word spoken. They were oblivious to my attentiveness as they continued their argument.

"Danzō is getting more persistent about nullifying the pact we made with his great-niece. The Third and Fourth Hokage and elders may be in agreement with us, but Danzō manipulates in his shadows. I do not want our family or even the little princess to be in danger because of his selfishness. I think it is time we discuss our concerns officially with Lord Fourth. The Third only wanted to listen to both sides and compromise, but I do not and will not tolerate beating around the bush when it regards situations like this. I believe his replacement will deal with the issue directly," my father stated gravely.

"I completely agree with you. There is another…less important matter I would like to discuss regarding the oath we have arranged with the late Tsutoni," my very pregnant mother replied.

"I'm worried about the arranged marriage and how it will affect Bri-chan when the time comes for her to follow through with it. She, as every other Tsutoni, will only be sixteen when she will be entitled to the marriage. What if she doesn't love him or what if he doesn't love her? Is it not possible for us to change that time frame or just annul it all together? Yes, I want them to be together because they are adorable, but I want it out of love, not bondage. They were toddlers and…can't we just adopt her or something else?"

"Mikoto, I didn't know that arranged marriages bothered you so. We Uchiha have been following that creed along with other elite clans for generations and it works. Well, it usually works other than the affair or two," my father said.

"That's just it! I don't want one of them to suffer unrequited love or the stings of adultery. Death is easier to accept than that," mother explained.

"So you still think about him?"

"What? Oh my, no! How many times do I have to reassure you? That was three years before I was introduced to you. I'm only voicing my concerns about that because I would like your support in keeping Shisui and Bri happy with one another. Just like us."

"Dear Mikoto, I do not think it will be an issue that we will have to worry about. Shisui already appears interested in only Bri and the girl doesn't seem to be one to step aside and let a competitor take charge. If anything, Shisui won't even get a chance to look for another girl when she gets old enough to hold his attention…if you understand what I mean."

"Fugaku! Seriously? You men are all the same!" She teased back.

I left my parents and went up to Shisui's room. He kept a picture of Bri hidden under some comics on his bedside table that he always got touchy about if I messed with it. Lately, his teammate who was much less pleasant to be around, had been poking around here. Dao always dismissed me as a nuisance, whereas Bri always let me in on whatever she and Shisui were discussing. I don't care if Dao was some relative; that did not mean I had to like her.

Shisui was currently working on some type of plans for his new team when I interrupted him. I wanted to see what he thought about Bri. How my parents feel about Shisui and Bri is futile if Shisui isn't interested.

* * *

~Bri's POV

The nightmares from my restless night resulted in my lack of attention the follow morning.

"I'm so excited and nervous and eager and everything today!" Anko spouted out as soon as she slammed the alarm clock off.

"How can you feel that way knowing that the senseis we will have to tolerate are three of the kids that found us tied up and dominated by five year old punks the other day?" Kurenai grimaced in response.

I rolled over to tune them out. I sympathized with Kurenai's argument and the more I thought about it, the more I dreaded that afternoon. I slowly drifted back to sleep while my friends continued to bicker.

"Bri! Bri! You need to get up now. We will be late if you don't hurry and we really don't need to make a bad first…no, second impression on them," Kurenai said as she shook me awake.

"Okay, okay I'm up!" I answered.

I looked at my friends who were completely dressed to go.

"Why don't you both go ahead? I'll catch up soon!" I suggested so that they would quit staring anxiously at my slow moving form.

"All right, but please hurry. You have about twenty minutes to get there if you want to be on time," Kurenai warned as she and Anko left me behind.

Twenty minutes? They couldn't have gotten me up sooner? I opened the closet to locate the most comfortable set of training gear I could find. I tugged on a dark gray top that covered my butt and pulled on black tights underneath it. I then pulled my hair up high and struggled to find pins that were not already broken to keep my hair in place. That alone took half my needed time, so I grabbed my headband on the way outside and began to sprint to the training field we were designated to meet.

I arrived late, of course, but I forced a weary smile on my face when I caught Shisui's look of concern. I quickly tied my headband around my forehead and looked away. He wouldn't punish me for a five minute tardy, surely.

"It's about time you made it, princess," he said as he returned my smile once I redirected my attention to him.

I could tell he was forcing his too. So, maybe I overestimated our sensei-student-best-friend relationship.

"Now that we are all accounted for, I'll formally introduce myself first since I am the official captain of our six man squad. As you already know, I am Uchiha Shisui." He then nodded his head in Genma's direction.

"I'm Shiranui Genma," he answered and then motioned for The Bitch to announce herself.

"I'm Uchiha Dao," she replied tartly. Well we all know who does not appreciate tardiness.

I turned my head in Anko's direction and rolled my eyes.

"I wouldn't mock me, little baby!" Dao said harshly as her eyes glowed red.

I guess she was trying to place some type of genjutsu on me, but her ignorance of my clan's ability left her in shock as I stared back at her completely unaffected. I willed Hokkaidō into making my eyes glow purple to negate her red ones, but he refused. At least she didn't scare me the way she wanted to.

"Come on, Dao-chan. Let's not start the torturing this early in the introductions," Shisui interrupted our stare off, "since the attention is on you, why don't you start?" he said to me.

"I'm Tsutoni Bri," I replied shortly and then patted Kurenai's back.

"I am Yūhi Kurenai," she quietly answered.

Anko did not hesitate to announce herself.

"And I am Mitarashi Anko!" she bellowed.

"All right! Now that we all know each other, let's begin the first lesson; defense," Shisui began.

"Wait! Don't you think we should reprimand Baby Bri for being late and showing a lack of professionalism?" The Bitch voiced.

"Five minutes is hardly punishable, but I did promise to share my leadership with you and Genma. Genma, do you think Bri-chan should be punished?" Shisui asked.

I gaped at him. Who the hell does he think he is, playing along with her stupidity? Before Genma could answer, I kindly provided my own opinion in the matter.

"You can't be serious right now Shisui-kun. This is clearly a joke and I promise—"

"For butting in and not calling me 'senpai', the proper term you should give your young superiors, you can run around this field five times. One for each minute you were late," Shisui commanded before I could finish my statement.

Everyone's mouth dropped except for Dao's who smiled admiringly at my fool of a leader/friend. Kurenai, Anko; and from what I could gather, Genma, all knew very well that Shisui allowed me to get away with everything ever since I had known him.

"Hai, _senpai,_" I retorted dryly.

He is going to regret this. My lack of sleep from the nightmares impacted my speed, so it took nearly thirty minutes longer to complete my task. The length of the training area we were stationed in wasn't small potatoes either and didn't help in the matter at all. I slowly made my way back to where my comrades were sparring once my punishment was complete.

"That was incredibly slow," The Bitch remarked.

My out-of-breath appearance seemed to worry Shisui-kun, excuse me Shisui-_senpai_, though. He frowned as I placed my hands on my hips and breathed heavily with my eyes drifting from his and towards the ground.

"I didn't realize how out of shape you were, Bri-chan," he whispered.

"She's not," Anko hotly replied.

She wasn't happy with his decision either it seemed.

"She didn't sleep last night. She kept waking up screaming about—" I slapped a hand over her mouth to keep her from exposing my secrets.

She glared at me, but didn't say anything else once I dropped my hand. The three older shinobi looked at us questioningly before Shisui started back on his original itinerary.

"I am well aware that Bri-chan's worst technique is short ranged taijutsu. What is your weakness in forms of defense, Kurenai and Anko?" Shisui asked.

"Mine is long-distance," Kurenai replied.

Anko spat at the ground before speaking, "Taijutsu is my strength. I have no weakness with that."

"Great, Dao-chan please work with Anko so that she can expand her skills. Genma, you work with Kurenai with far ranged defensive positions. I'll work with Bri-chan since I know she needs to build up her hand to hand combat," Shisui commanded.

I have to admit, he was pretty good at this boss thing.

After countless times of being manhandled, thrown, kicked, pushed, tripped, and knocked to my ass, Shisui called for an end to the exhausting day. I ignored him the entire way home. Genma departed our group first while Dao remained in our party until Shisui urged her away and followed my team back to the Yūhi household. I still disregarding his presence once Kurenai and Anko entered the house and left me alone with him.

"Look, I know you're pissed at me, but you need to listen to what I have to say," he started.

"I—"

"No, Little Bri. Listen," he said again as he placed his right index finger over my lips to shush me.

"Soon, whether it's one or ten years from now, you will have to go on missions led by people you may not like, hate even. You're not going to be able to smart off and say whatever you feel like saying because they will not hesitated to put you in your place. I'm not going to let you act in ways that are only going to get you in trouble, not anymore. I'm not doing this to hurt your feelings, but to prepare you for the future life as a respectable shinobi. These higher-ups are brutal, Bri-Bri. I'm a fucking ray of sunshine compared to them. I can't guarantee that you won't be subjected to that, so I'm going to make sure you know how to deal with it."

He had never given me a lesson on my manners before. He had always let me do whatever and laughed at my silliness whenever I disturbed or inconvenienced others. He was right about it all though, it's time for me to grow up and take his advice.

"Thank you, Shisui-_senpai_," I said as I batted my eye lashes.

I thought he would roll his eyes at me and tell me to stop calling him that, but he shocked me by smiling deviously.

"It looks like you are already starting to get the idea, princess," his smile deepening.

My mouth popped open for the umpteenth time that day. I left him smirking there as I stomped away and into the house. If he wasn't so damn cute, I probably would have slapped him. I would hate to mar his arrogant, but beautiful face.

Anko and Kurenai burst into fits of laughter as I walked in. They were peeking through the blinds at Shisui's retreating back.

"He looks stunned. What did you say?" Kurenai squealed.

"Nothing that would wound his ever-rising pride," I huffed and walked to our shared bedroom.

They continued to giggle at my discipline while I changed and crawled into bed. I dozed into a deep, deep sleep.

No dreams of the future; no nightmares of the past. The next two months continued in that fashion until the day finally came that Shisui, Dao, and Genma called us together for an important change of plans.

"All right, I know that today was originally the day that we were going to hand you three your Chūnin exam registration forms. However, there has been an abrupt schedule change in the date for that. They will not be held until this following spring. We will continue to prepare you all for that day, so let's start," Shisui concluded once the bad news was given.

Soon, the fall festival would start which meant Kushina-sensei would be having her son. My nerves spiked at the thought of that.

* * *

A/N I needed this filler chapter for the next big thing!


	14. Kushina's Death: Part 1

This chapter is broken into two parts. As the title suggests, this is Bri's experience with the loss of her sensei. I recommend that you re-watch episode 248; it will give the visual for the layout based here. :D I do not own Naruto characters or scenes.

* * *

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

~Bri's POV

A month had passed since my team was informed of the time change with our Chūnin exams. Anko, Kurenai, and I looked forward to today. The Fall Festival grew in quality and quantity each year, so this one would be just as exciting. I couldn't wait to see the colors and lights, smell the food and crafts, and hear all of the sounds that would be even greater now that my senses were heightened. Shisui-_sen__pai_ gave us the weekend off for the celebration and I planned on taking full advantage of my freedom.

Anko sported a pale blue kimono with yellow trim while Kurenai dressed herself in a red one with white trim. Naturally, I had to find something that would be equal to their adorable attire and settled on a green kimono with a lily design sewn into it. I then brushed my hair down only to have Kurenai use a matching green ribbon to tie a bow into my hair to hold my bangs back.

"I like your hair down, but we still want to see your face Bri-chan!" She exclaimed.

Her father called out to us before I could thank her.

"I didn't know you had a date, Kurenai," he stated sternly.

"I…uh…well it's not a _date_ father! Asuma was only tagging along with us. That's all!" Kurenai babbled as she glared at the boy she was referring to.

He was supposed to meet us at the festival; not her house.

"Hmm. Right. Remember, what I said—no boyfriends until you are thirteen. You're almost twelve, so please slow down. That rule applies to all of you in my household," he warned and focused on Anko and me.

"But, what about Bri's birthday awhile back? That was like a date," Kurenai rebutted.

"No. That was a friend giving a friend a gift under adult supervision. Fugaku-sama was there the whole time; whether they were aware of it or not."

"What?" I chimed in, attempting to get Kurenai off the hook.

Before he explained, Shisui _sen__pai_ approached our home too. Papa Yūhi raised an eyebrow at Anko as if to ask her if she was expecting a "boyfriend" too.

"I'm sorry to barge in unannounced Yūhi-sama, but I have urgent news to discuss with Bri," Shisui hurriedly said.

"I understand. Excuse us while we make our way to the festivities," he said and directed our friends away.

"You look lovely, princess," Shisui began is "urgent" news.

"Thank you, senpai," I retorted.

"Jeez, Bri-chan. You sure know how to make a guy feel bad. Can you please drop the sarcasm before you piss me off?"

"Whatever. Like _I_ could piss you off. What's wrong? I'm missing all the fun!"

"Oh, about that. My aunt asked if I would babysit Itachi and Sasuke for her so that she and my uncle could enjoy the day. I couldn't watch them because I'm on police duty tonight. You're technically the next closest family she actually trusts her kids with, so…yeah," he sighed.

I could tell he regretted bringing me into it, but it felt nice knowing that his aunt would think so highly of me that she would entrust me with that kind of responsibility.

"Well, there is always next year," I smiled.

"Uh I…oh, that's great that you're handling that so well," Shisui admitted and held his arm out for me to take.

He led me arm-in-arm all the way to his home before releasing me.

"Good luck with those two," he smirked and flickered away.

"Bri-chan! I'm so relieved to see you! Here's a list of Sasuke's feeding schedule. Itachi is a big help. He's incredibly smart even though he's young. I'm so lucky! We'll be back late, so feel free to stay the night once you have them in the bed. I don't want you traveling back home," she babbled on as she handed me the list and left with her less-than-eager spouse.

I glanced at the list in my hand and noted that Sasuke's lunch was due any minute now. As if on cue, I heard the sweet infant cry out. I headed straight to the fridge to select the bottle labeled for today's brunch and started to warm it up. I wasn't surprised to see Itachi bringing in his fussy brother before I had even finished warming the bottle. Itachi's wide onyx eyes looked anxiously at my nervous purple ones.

"Don't look so worried, Itachi-kun. I know you didn't intend to embarrass me a while back. We all make silly choices," I winked at his shocked face.

He held his arms out so that I could take Sasuke. The infant exemplified the perfect Uchiha lineage. All of them with their porcelain skin, black hair, and coal-toned eyes. _Beautiful_ was what these Uchiha were, simply _beautiful_. Sasuke's cries softened and ceased once he smelled the bottle nearing his lips. I giggled at the innocent babe in my arms as he finished his feast in less than ten minutes.

Itachi's eyes never left me as I paced throughout the house, bouncing Sasuke in my arms, and thinking of something we could do to pass the time.

"Itachi-kun, will you please bring me a thick blanket?" He nodded at my request obediently, never questioning my motives.

I laid the beautiful sheep-skin blanket Itachi gathered for me onto the floor of the family room and placed Sasuke onto its center. Itachi and I stared at the infant as the tiny baby tossed and jerked until he finally rolled onto his stomach. Itachi smiled excitedly; apparently this was a new achievement for the youngest Uchiha. Not long after Sasuke's workout, he tired and fell asleep. I carried the lightly sleeping baby to his crib located in Itachi's room.

My evening with Itachi was uneventful after that. Making conversation with the child was nearly impossible, so I settled on coloring activities to pass away the time. I wasn't surprised that the quiet boy drew well. His cousin did everything perfectly too. Damn Uchihas.

The moon began to rise along with Sasuke. Itachi motioned for me to remain seated as he opted to get his brother. Something felt…wrong. I glanced over at the clock and confirmed that it would be another two hours before I would expect their parents to be home. I turned my attention to Itachi who was feeding Sasuke his bedtime meal before I stepped outside.

It was the air that felt wrong. I began my pacing again when I heard Hokkaidō snarl.

"_The jinchūriki_," he said.

Kushina-sensei must be in labor. Fear tickled my bones. Itachi remained silent the entire time I was moving about until now.

"Bri-Bri, I'm ready for my parents to come home," he whispered.

"I know, I know sweet boy. They'll be home before you know it," I whispered back and rubbed my fingers through his dark hair.

Sasuke's cries loudened. Itachi's frown deepened. My heart raced faster.

* * *

~Kurenai's POV

"Don't you feel it? Something doesn't seem right," I softly said in Anko's ear.

"You're just spooked. I'm going to tell Asuma of your cry-baby attitude if you don't stop being so silly," Anko laughed back.

I rolled my eyes knowing full well that she wouldn't be that mean. I desperately wished Bri was here. She would understand my intuition. Anko and I continued our walk alongside Asuma who had been oblivious to our little chat. At that point, Gai and Kakashi crossed our path.

"Why hello there, girl with eyes that are more beautiful than rubies!" Gai shouted in my direction.

I caught Kakashi close his exposed eye in exasperation.

"I'm really sorry, but I don't have time for your foolish attempts at flirting, mammoth brows," I responded as I continued my secret search for Shisui.

He would be able to explain my odd feeling. Gai turned to his grey-haired friend.

"That's strange. She usually doesn't have a short temper with me like Bri-chan," he quietly confided to Kakashi while he eyed Asuma.

Kakashi nodded his head in agreement and then focused his attention back to me.

"You feel it too? I couldn't help but notice that the princess isn't with you. Is she okay?" He asked.

Gai, Anko, and Asuma looked dumbfounded at us as we shared our concern. I turned my head and briefly captured a glance at a disappearing Shisui. Hopefully he heard our conversation.

* * *

~Bri's POV

Itachi held Sasuke as we sat together outside. Ironically, the moon always made Hokkaidō strengthen his ability to reign over my emotions despite my clan symbol being a sun. This was why I wanted to sit in the outside atmosphere. I didn't want to feel scared; not when I was responsible for two young children. Itachi soothed Sasuke, but the air thickened with dread regardless of our attempts to remain calm.

That was when it happened—Uzumaki Kushina gave birth.

"Come on Itachi, let's go find your parents. I have a feeling that something bad is about to happen and we need to get you two to one of the safety zones."

"So you're not going to stay with us?"

"No, I need to get to my sensei. She's hurting."

"But, if she's in danger then won't you be?"

"I'll be okay. Lord Fourth will make sure of that," I assured him as I held Sasuke in my arms and knelt to let Itachi climb onto my back.

Once he was secured, I took off to the emergency sanction closest to the home and saw two officers directing people to where I was headed. One recognized me and panic tainted his voice,

"Princess Tsutoni, hurry and follow the others! I'll let Fugaku-sama and Shisui know where you are."

I nodded my head respectfully and squatted to let Itachi down. He nodded his head and hugged me tightly before taking Sasuke away and fleeing with the others. I whispered an unheard "I love you" to the retreating five year old before running to where Hokkaidō directed.

I heard crying cooing from a secluded building nearby. A shield surrounded the place and forced me to wait outside until it faded. I needed to get in! My patience was running out when I heard Kushina and her husband talk about sealing a demon when screams pierced the air. Suddenly, a familiar but unrecognizable voice threatened those inside. The stranger planned to kill the crying newborn unless Minato handed over Kushina.

The barrier had to have been gone. I easily ran inside the moment the _orange mask_ tossed the minutes old child into the air. The next thing I remembered was flying and falling into a pool of water. My dress was soaked through and the wet material clung to me as I quickly took in my surroundings. Then, I saw it.

This memory paved the way to the path of disgust I held against the decisions the leaders of my village had made, made, and will make. What I saw could not be forgotten.

_Kushina's arms were chained high above her and a bloodied black blanket tied her undressed bottom-half away._

_Her stomach was tattooed with sealing marks._

_The orange mask explained his ghastly intentions to her._

_My legs trembled as I attempted to climb the rock she was trapped on._

_The mask laughed as his Sharingan confronted the beast within her._

Why was no one here? Where were reinforcements? Who is the Uchiha behind the mask from my nightmares? My stomach sickened as I helplessly watched red chakra seep from Kushina while her face mutated into a sunken visage.

Kyūbi was free. Kushina was free. She fell and held onto her life as any Uzumaki would while I ran to her side. The Nine-Tails dropped a paw to crush us when Minato-sama's speed came to the rescue. He motioned for me to grab onto his loose shirt before teleporting us to a place that his son was safely hiding.

My throat stung when Minato placed his beloved wife onto the bed beside their son. I was as silent and as still as I could be. I didn't want to intrude on the family moment. I didn't belong there.

"Tsutoni Bri, do not let your compassion cloud your better judgment. Remember this as well; not every friend you have had or will have is good. I'll be right back," Minato announced and left.

I didn't have time to think deeply about his warning— Hokkaidō wouldn't let me.

"_Leave," _my spirit instructed.

I ignored his demands. There was no way in hell that I would abandon my weakened sensei with a newly birthed baby.

* * *

~Kurenai's POV

My father gathered every youth aged shinobi he could find and led us to a safe zone outside the village. My heart dropped as he urged me into swearing an oath of keeping the will of fire turning. The bad feeling that had nagged me all day overwhelmed me now as I watched my dad leave to stop the Kyūbi. I knew then that his death was inevitable.

"Where's Bri-chan? I haven't seen her during the entire festival and you never answered Kakashi before the attack. Is she with her boyfriend?" Gai questioned.

"Shisui is not her boyfriend!" Anko interceded.

"She's more than likely with the Uchiha's," I answered to prevent the two hot heads from escalating a pointless argument.

Kakashi remained silent, but I couldn't help but notice how his eyes darkened when Gai accused Bri of having a boyfriend. Something told me that Bri was _not_ with who I suggested, but I held my tongue. We would only endanger ourselves if we started a search for her. I decided to keep my faith in Shisui.

* * *

~Shisui's POV

Damn it all. I lost Bri's trail after she reached the security area near our home. I hoped beyond hope that she remained there or was at least there long enough that I could pick up her trail again. I raced to the specific location Lord Danzō instructed the police unit to be. Luckily, it was the closest one to the Uchiha marketplace so that would be the one Bri would have gone to.

I felt that the rule for Uchiha to not intervene and control the Nine Tails was bull shit. The entire ordeal was only going to raise Uchiha hostility and Kami knows what will happen after this. I shut out those thoughts when I relocated Bri's chakra. She was already a mile away from where the safe zone was located, but at least I would be able to catch up to her soon.

"Oi, Shisui! Where do you think you are going? Princess Tsutoni is with Itachi and Sasuke and I need you there to make sure that she remains in place with them until this issue has been resolved," my uncle called out.

"What do you mean she is with your sons? Don't you sense her chakra going that way?" I asked and pointed to the danger, the danger that I could faintly feel her in.

My uncle clinched the bridge of his nose and huffed.

"Damn it all. Go. Get. Her," he spat what I was thinking only seconds earlier before he returned his attention back onto the villagers amid him.

* * *

~Bri's POV

I could smell heat, smoke, and flame choke the forest around my location. I stood quietly, waiting for Minato's return.


	15. Kushina's Death: Part 2

It took way longer to update this than I originally planned! I am sorry for the delays and hope I can update more frequently! Thank you for your time! I do not own any Naruto characters or scenes. I just have my Tsutoni!

* * *

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

*Destruction and chaotic sounds echo the walls outside of the room while Kushina and Bri converse quietly*

"Bri-chan,"

"Yes, Kushina-sensei?"

"Stop moping about and listen to me."

It seems that more often of late that was all anyone older than me would say; 'listen.'

"Hai," I responded, urging her to continue.

"Death for me in inevitable,"

"How, how can you even say that to me right now? How can you even say that seriously?" I sputtered, interrupting her before she could even complete her sentence.

I had seen enough of death and did not want that to be her fate, what would the whining infant beside her do without a mother? Grow bitter like me, that's what.

"Bri-chan! Hush! I'm in no state to argue with a child right now."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. It's just everything that is happening is crushing into me. This whole situation is. I don't think I can handle this anymore," I began to blurt, nearing hyperventilation.

A feat Hokkaidō found remarkable considering the restraint he was _supposed _to have over my emotions.

"This is only the beginning. You must harden your heart, little one, because worse will come. Your life has just started and I fear the Leaf will be facing foes not found in recent wars and we need skilled warriors as yourself for when those days come. Now, let us refocus on what I was trying to say. Tell me, what does Hokkaidō tell you about the current situation?"

"He…the only thing he has said to me so far is to leave. He wants me to get out and run."

"Then why are you still here? Obey him!"

"No. I'm tired of being told what to do! What kind of kunoichi abandons her master unprotected with a new born?"

"An almost twelve year old princess whose strength, talent, and intelligence is needed for the future of this village!"

"Princess? Princess of what? Why does everyone call me that? Is it my so called mother? She should be here protecting this place! Why isn't she? Oh, that's right, she's a damned drunk and is as useless as a piece of shit right now!"

"Bri-chan!" my sensei gasped, "you're too young to understand. Her love for you is as real as mine for this itty-bitty baby next to me. She just doesn't know how to show it lately."

"That's the biggest lie I've ever heard," was all I could say.

Naruto began crying, ending our argument. I stooped back into my silent brooding and waited for my ancestor's soul to talk to me again.

"_She speaks the truth, young Tsutoni. You need to go now. Give her some privacy."_

'No,' I argued back, 'not until Lord Forth gets his butt back here. Oh, and Hokkaidō?'

"_Yes?"_

'Who was that man in the mask? He's the one that has been haunting my dreams.'

"_I can't be sure right now until I get another glimpse of his chakra. I vaguely recall his scent, but that only means that I've come in contact with him before. That could have been from generations ago, or with you."_

'Oh. We must go and find out. This information could make or break this nation.'

"_What?" _Hokkaidō roared, "_I have attempted to get you to leave this entire time so that you could seek safety with the villagers and ninja your age; not so you could place yourself in further danger!"_

I ignored him as I usually do and turned to glance at my sensei one last time.

"Kushina-sensei, you're right. I should go. The danger is nearing."

"Okay, sweet Bri. There will be a day where Naruto admires you and I look forward to viewing it from above."

I smiled, nodded my head, and headed to where Minato's chakra burned the strongest. I eventually located the Yellow Flash and the masked man with him. I carefully manipulated the air so that I could easily eavesdrop without being noticed. This was a trick Shisui was able to teach me during the training my team spent with his. He wasn't able to do it himself, but understood the fundamentals enough to share the knowledge for someone who could use wind jutsu.

From what I could gather, the whole point of the masked man's attack was to take control of the Nine Tailed beast and basically spread turmoil among the Leaf's government leaders. As they continued to speak, I tuned in on the orange mask's chakra. It WAS familiar. The name of the person was on the tip of my tongue, but something in the chakra was off.

"_You're right, his chakra is tainted. It is as if it is not all together his. He is Uchiha; that much I can tell."_

'Oh no, that's the last thing that clan needs. We can't reveal that to the elders. Not if what Shisui and his family talk about when they don't think I'm listening is true.'

"_We don't have time to worry with that right now. We need to get out of here immediately, my vessel."_

'But, Hokkaidō…I should help.'

"_No, you fool! If you get any nearer to the battle, you could alter the entire fight and make things worse!"_

His warning didn't fall on deaf ears this time. I didn't seek shelter though; I remained in place as I watched the scuffle build up to a full fight. At this point, Lord Fourth melted through the enemy. Physical attacks were proving to be useless against the hidden man.

"_Move, little Tsutoni!"_

_"_I…I can't," I vocalized aloud.

Luckily, my words were shielded by the blast Kushina's husband somehow successfully implanted on the ghost-like man he was battling. My heart raced as victory seemed graspable.

At least it did until the wounded arm that was hit glopped to the ground like clay. This must have been the reason his chakra was corrupted. Minato-sama released the jutsu holding the Kyūbi as the stranger vanished, leaving the destructive mess of the Hidden Leaf behind.

* * *

~Shisui's POV

Please don't be too late. _Please_ don't be too late. _PLEASE _don't let me be too late, I chanted repeatedly to myself as I neared Bri's location. My irritation at her was boiling to the point of anger. How could she get herself so deeply involved? How is her protector-of-emotions-and-ruler-of-rationality clan soul letting her make these dangerous choices?

The stone she gave me before her first mission was glowing boldly; a beacon of purple giving away my position to any other trouble that could have been around me. She had yet to clarify the specifics of it, but I was starting to get the idea that it would shine if those close to me were in danger. I could feel the warmth of it rise and match my temperament. Fortunately, I sensed her less than 5 minutes away and quickened my pace to reach her. I couldn't care less if anyone could see, hear, or feel me close in. All that mattered was getting her as far away from the fiercest monster the Leaf had ever encountered.

I planted myself behind Bri as she watched the fast paced fight begin. I should have snatched her away then, but something held me in place. The longer I remained fixed there, the more familiar the orange mask appeared to be. O…orange…O…O…something about the letter O was getting to me. The worst about the entire situation is that I was able to confirm that the masked man was an Uchiha.

No other clan could control a tailed beast with ocular jutsu like that of my own. Danzō was the reason the Uchihas weren't here now controlling that fiend. Now, villagers would grow even more wearily of my family and more than likely this would be the end of Minato-sama and his wife. Oji-san Fugaku is not going to be pleased when this is all over.

"My little princess, we must go now," I whispered behind Bri.

She gasped in fear before responding. "I thought I smelled lilies. Your chakra is so sweet, it tickles my nose, but we can't go, Shisui-kun. We must help them keep the beast back from Naruto!"

"Enough! There isn't anything that we can do anymore. My priority is getting you to safety and I'll be damned if I let anything happen to you while I'm so close. We must go before you see anything else that could jeopardize your sanity."

"My sanity?! I've already witnessed the death of hundreds at my own hands. I've already lost every Tsutoni clan member. I physically saw that demon be sucked out of my sensei whose stomach was still swollen from child birth. AND I'm seeing that same demon about to cause more harm to her! That man used a Sharingan-like jutsu to control that thing! Why can't you?!"

There was a moment of silence before I could respond. It was shocking to learn of the horror this little girl, this pretty faced pre-teen that I was destined to follow, had already come in contact with. I thought carefully before I answered her question.

"It isn't that simple, okay. Knowledge of that ability as well as many other powerful Sharingan genjutsu have been sealed away to prevent my clan from becoming too powerful to be seen as a threat to other nations as well as our own. If there is ever a member of my family that develops one of those hidden talents, it is because they simply figured it out on their own unintentionally."

I paused briefly before continuing.

"In those cases, we keep the development a secret. We do not want the elders to have more reasons to keep my clan under even more intense supervision. I'm sorry, Bri-chan, but there isn't anything I can do right now that would help. I've exhausted my eyes searching for you as it is. If I try anything, I could make things worse, such as catching the Kyūbi's attention, accidentally harming those close to it, or just using up too much of my own chakra and place us both in danger that way. I'm sorry, princess, but we need to go. We've waited too long already," I finished as softly and calmly as I could to conceal any fear that I may have had.

"Don't be sorry, Shis-kabob," Bri sighed, doing her best to lighten the mood.

I smirked before I knelt to the ground to allow her to climb onto my back and took off in the direction that I came from. I felt Bri's weight shift as she turned her neck to see what was going on behind us, much to my dismay.

"Nooooooooo!" Princess Tsutoni cried out in a blood-curdling shrill pitch that would ring in my ears until we reached the location she dropped Itachi and Sasuke off.

I would never question her about what she witnessed in those final moments. I could never ask her to relive those memories just to satisfy my curiosity.

* * *

~Bri's POV

I didn't know what to do, say, act, or feel anymore. I, as well as Anko, Kurenai, and many others my age were relocated in a large room surrounded by psychiatric nurses. Shisui refused to leave my side at any point during the movement.

He couldn't have anyway; the fingers of my left hand were embedded in his clothing and anyone that was close enough to see the connection let us be. Anko tried multiple times to consult Kurenai. I missed something vital and was not quite ready to confront Kurenai about it. I had a feeling it involved her father.

One by one, the nurses would take us outside to an available Yamanaka to pick over our mental health. Fortunately, the one I was partnered with was unable to get through Hokkaidō to see what lay hidden in my mind. He didn't voice the issue to those around us, and nodded to Shisui in an "I-trust-that-you-will-look-over-her" way before dismissing us to check out the next person.

"Why don't we go home," Shisui suggested.

I nodded before my knees collapsed under the emotional weight added to my physical stress. I vaguely recalled someone calling out to my caretaker before blacking out.

* * *

~Kakashi's POV

I searched endlessly for the lost Tsutoni once it was clear that the Nine Tails was gone. She was the only person that I knew would have my answers. I eventually found her being carried by Shisui into a building both Anko and Kurenai vanished in minutes before.

I decided that it would be best to wait outside for their departure to question her. It felt like hours before the young shinobi began to exit the building. By the time the princess left, I almost missed her. She collapsed by the time I got Shisui's attention so I wouldn't be able to question her immediately.

"Oi, Hatake. I suppose you wanted to know the status of Lord Fourth?"

"Hai, if you have any knowledge."

"None that you would want to hear. Bri is in a delicate state right now. She's barely moved or said anything since we got here. I must get her to my home before she awakens. I don't want her to revive in the midst of all this destruction."

"I understand, but if you have any knowledge please tell me," I spoke more urgently.

She was clearly incapacitated and wouldn't wake up before he could elaborate more on my question.

"I imagine that he, his wife, and son are dead. I did not see what Bri did as my back was against the finale. She will know and if you dare to ask her about it, I will not hesitate to harm you. She doesn't need to go through it all again. Not right now anyway. Goodbye, Hatake."

I remained in place dumbfounded. It was rare that I felt patronized and I never imagined Uchiha Shisui would be responsible for it. It was clear to me that his feelings for the little princess were strengthening and could cause trouble if she becomes a member of the ANBU with me as Danzō suggested to my team prior to this incident.

I didn't dwell on those ideas for long considering she had yet to go through the Chūnin exams. I only hope that what she saw this night wouldn't scar her permanently. Her life as a shinobi was only beginning.

* * *

~Bri's POV

The tension in my brain and heart was unbearable. Mikoto-san prepared herbs to soothe my aches as Shisui sat at the foot of my bed reading a comic. I was impressed with his ability to recoil from what we went through. Normally, I would have been irritated with his stoicism, but I was starting to comprehend the importance of it. He may not have truly felt the way he looked, but it was for my own good that he remained calm, cool, and collected. I needed him to lean on as my friend and captain.

"Okay, Bri-chan, it's ready. I'm taking Itachi and Sasuke out to town. I'll be home in a few hours. Shisui-kun, I expect you to make sure she consumes this medicine and gets up and about soon. She can't just lie in bed all day!" I smiled at her response.

She was also just trying to help me come to terms with my loss. She knew very well that acting on any sad feelings wouldn't undo the past.

Shis-kabob glanced at me once she left us _alone_ in his room.

"You heard the boss. Drink up, princess," he commanded in his senpai voice.

"Aye, sir," I responded and ingested the most vile tasting concoction provided to me.

He laughed unmercifully at my facial expressions.

"What would you like to do today, Bri-chan?"

"Eat something yummy to get this nasty out of my mouth!"

"Sure! What about a picnic? There is a koi pond on the south side of the Naka shrine here. I'd rather you rest here for today before heading out into the village tomorrow."

"Sounds amazing. Anything to get me out of this bed and food in my belly!"

Shisui led me to the pond and prepared our lunch. We discussed his plans for continuing his training with my team for the exams that would be here 6 months from now.

"I'm not really sure what is going to happen as far as me leading your training now. My uncle is currently discussing your living arrangements with Lord Third and there may be some issues involving that. Also, Kurenai's father was one of the Jōnin shinobi lost last night. As a result, you and Anko will need to be relocated. You belong here as your father decreed in the pact we made and I imagine Danzō-sama will not cooperate. I just want to prepare you for the possibilities coming up."

"Oh, I see. Do you think my team will be summoned about it soon?"

"Yes. I wouldn't be surprised if they plan a time to meet with all of us tomorrow."

We talked about irrelevant things after that. I learned that Shis-kabob's favorite color was purple; a fact all of his family did not know except for Itachi. I discovered that he developed a very powerful genjutsu that he was unable to hide so my great uncle was very weary of him. He shared with me of those he admired and those he despised (including The Bitch, Dao). My mood brightened as a result and we spent the rest of the day walking around the Uchiha section and by the time we headed back to his home, the sun was already setting.

We had a quiet meal with Fugaku-sama glaring at the table the entire time. I assumed it had something to do with me and I knew not to ask about it. I would find out soon enough tomorrow.


	16. A Serpent Encounter

Sorry doesn't quite make up for the delay in this getting posted! Thank you VERY, VERY much for my reviews! The next few chapters will skim through Bri's early teens. As a reminder/warning, she will wed at 16 so that will include some contact for the M rated status that my story is marked as! Thank you kindly for your time and interest!

* * *

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

~Bri's POV

A light tapping on the bedroom door awoke me from my restless slumber. I wondered if this would be the last time I would get to rise in Shisui's bed, or if that would have to wait a few more years to enjoy. A delicate blush painted my face as my mind began to drift towards sharing a bed; snuggling in _his_ strong arms, with _his _callused fingers twirling in my hair as I drifted lazily into sleep.

"Bri-Bri, Mother says that you have been summoned by Lord Third. You must meet with him in a few hours," Itachi's soft voice snapped me back to reality.

I frowned, wondering if the meeting would have anything to do with Fugaku-sama's attitude the evening before.

"Okay Ita-Ita, I'll be down shortly," I giggled my reply.

If he can use nicknames, then I can too! Little did I know at this time that his habit would influence the way I referred to anyone of importance that I would meet from this point on...muahaha.

"Ita-Ita?" He questioned, still behind the closed door.

"Yes. Your brother shall be our 'Saucy' okay?"

"...No, but I'll not question your decisions," he replied and left.

Well, he may not be as fun as Shisui but at least he wasn't going to argue over the matter. Speaking of that boy, where was he? I began to think of my team and how Kurenai might be doing. Out of all the years we had spent at the academy together and as teammates, we had never discussed her family outside her father.

If he were all that she had, I could only imagine how she was holding up. The more I thought about it, most of my friends at this point were the last of their clans. I never realized how severe this most recent war impacted the Land of Fire. The ancestor within me remained quiet as I changed my dark contemplation to one more silly as I rallied through monikers for each of my friends while changing into a pink kimono with a sky blue vine-like pattern trim.

Once I brushed and tied my hair into my ever-present top knot, I headed towards the kitchen. The moment I walked in to fix my own breakfast, Saucy bellowed into unstoppable cries.

"Oh my good kami, Mikoto-san! Make it stop," I begged and covered my ears from the shrieks.

She slammed the dishes she was cleaning back into the sink. She then shook the steaming pot of whatever she was in the process of cooking and tested a warmed bottle she had prepared. After that, she jerked her own reddening face in my direction with a demonic glare dominating her face.

"Why don't you help me instead of standing there complaining! Can't you see that I'm trying to get these cleaned, food cooked, and Sasuke fed, Sassy Pants?!"

I widened my eyes in surprise. I spent many mornings here waiting for Shisui to get ready for our training and she never raised her voice around me. Well, she did have a valid point. I skipped over to the sobbing babe and lifted him from his high chair. I bounced him around the kitchen in a similar fashion I had done before. His cries became coos as he began tugging on a thick strand of hair that fell loose from my bun.

"Whew! Thank you Bri-chan. Usually Itachi helps, but he's been avoiding me lately. Oh, speaking of which, did he tell you about your summons?"

"Yes ma'am."

"You should eat some of this and rest before you go."

I did my absolute best to rest as she recommended, but I couldn't sit still. Hokkaidō kept the emotion of anxiety at bay, but my physical muscle response to it was preventing me from relaxing. I eventually settled on visiting the hospital. I needed to know the status of Kushina's legacy. Was he even alive? If so, how well was he?

The answers to my concerns were answered the moment I was within feet from the building. His chakra was the essence of intensity. It was so hot that it scolded my nose. Beneath the familiar demon's scent I had adapted to with my sensei, there was his own. It was also vivid and smelled...bright. If I could see the chakra mix, I believed it would be as fire.

I made myself enter the room the blonde was occupying. He was not crying, smiling, or looking about aimlessly. His eyes were locked on mine. The sheer power behind his stare sent shivers through my veins. I quivered in response and that was when his small face darkened and the tears began to rain. I had already heard enough baby drama for the day, so that was my sign to exit the vicinity.

I bumped into the nurse overseeing his care. She gave me an affronted look, as if it were my fault and that I bore the responsibility of his outburst. I noted the whiskers on his pink face before I took off out of the room. There was more than a cat within that infant. He shall be "Foxy."

_"You are ridiculous," _Hokkaidō interrupted as I thought of fellow comrades again and names I could impose on them.

'And you are useless to me at this point;' I argued back, 'what happened to all the joy you infused my heart with when you first entered my soul? Why can't I get a healthy dose of that?'

_"My abilities of mental control have weakened since I have merged with you as I need to learn a new way to do it. I never intended to reside in a female host and only recently contemplated the idea that I would have to once your brothers went missing. I honestly did not think it would be so different. I was mistaken. You females are too emotional, too compassionate, too bitter, and too silly. You're just too much."_

'Well then. Tell me how you really feel about my gender,' I sarcastically answered.

_"If I were not here, you would be crying as harshly as those babies. It is not intended for children your age to suffer as much so early; shinobi or not. I fear that this is not even the start. How much death, how much despair can one take?"_

'I see that you are also unstable. Fantastic. I'll just go to where I'm supposed to be now while you get your life together,' I replied to the deep-thinking spirit.

_"Wait. There is someone nearby attempting to use genjutsu on you."_

I froze and focused my attention in finding the punk who thought they could invade my mental prowess. With the help of Hokkaidō's strengthened senses, it did not take me long to discover the imp.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered my invader to be Ita-Ita.

"What on Earth are you doing? Your mother is worried about your absence and could use your help with Saucy."

Uchiha Itachi rolled his eyes.

"I know you did not," I snapped at his lack of care.

I couldn't tell if it was blatant annoyance at my reaction to catching him, using nicknames (which was his fault), or with his inability to practice genjutsu on me. As far as I knew, he hadn't activated his kekkei-genkai so I wasn't really sure what he was trying to accomplish.

"Shouldn't you be at the meeting with Hokage-sama?" He asked bluntly.

"I suppose so," I sighed.

"Why are you hesitant about it?"

"I'm worried that I will hear bad news."

"If you don't like the orders, then argue. That's what you do now according to Nii-san."

"I...hmm. Well then, sweet Itachi-kun. I best be on my way," I rambled and left the odd ball behind.

I was troubled with him being alone. He was nearly six, but it wasn't wise for him to wonder around purposelessly alone. Had his clan not been the police force, I would have taken him home personally and used it as an excuse to be late.

I found myself circling the summit at least five times before working up the courage to climb the stairs and march myself to the summons.

"Princess! You're over twenty minutes late. Were you not informed of this meeting properly?" That dreadful "Great Uncle" of mine questioned.

By properly, did he mean by a child communicating though a door? Who does he think he is speaking before the Hokage? Not only am I being scolded, but it's in a room full of Anbu and the other two elders as well. Yay.

"I was informed. I only got lost traveling the path of not wanting to be here," I eventually responded dully.

"Understandable. Considering the many laps you took around this building," the Hokage cheerfully replied.

I could feel blush tickle my cheeks and worsen when I overheard snickers around me. Sure enough, Anko was the one responsible for the snappy giggles.

"If your snorts get any snottier, you'll start sounding like a hissing snake," I started in on her.

Oh my, I'll call her Hissy when she starts pissing me off.

"I am a snake!" She _hissed_ back, allowing the white serpents extend from under her sleeve, licking me before pulling them back within her.

"JFjakeughaks!" I squealed something invalid as a wiped the nasty from my face.

"Silence!" The mummy-wrapped man interrupted, "Please Lord Hokage, let's commence this meeting. The sooner we finalize this, the saner I'll be."

"I agree, Danzō," Lord Third nodded, "I'm sure you three young kunoichi are aware of your sensei's passing. The funeral will be held later this evening. Also, you three will remain a team for the Chūnin exams. Your performance with that will determine your future positions, so please take them seriously. I recommend that you focus all angst, hatred, and remorse into preparing yourselves for those. In the meantime, your team will be participating in missions with Team Shisui. Kurenai, I am sorry for this heavy loss. You and Anko are dismissed."

My heart sank. Of course they were not done with me yet. All I wanted to do was chase after Kurenai and hug her as tightly as I could manage. My father was the most beloved person in my life and if it were not for Hokkaidō, who knows how I would be faring.

"Princess Tsutoni, we have a matter of importance to discuss." Lord Third began once the doors closed.

I glanced around seriously this time and noted Shisui as well as the scarecrow Kaka within the room. At least I didn't feel so alone.

"Yuhi Shinku is among those lost as I am sure you have been notified of. We are weary of how well you, Kurenai, and Anko will be without supervision."

The sting of deja vu burned my already irritated spirit. Luckily, Hokkaidō managed to reign back _most_ of my attitude.

"Parentless kids take care of themselves regularly here. We're not any different. If anything, we will be better off," I stated. I'm tired of relocating.

"As I thought you would say. The council finds it best that you reposition elsewhere until the pact your father made enacts on your sixteenth birthday."

"Why just me? Why not push Anko and Kurenai apart too? I'm already accustomed to the home we share."

Utatane Koharu, the solo female of the council, spoke up.

"That may be, but it is improper for a child of your status to be left to your own devices."

"And it is not so for them? What do you mean 'child of my status'? I'm not any different than they. How can it be okay to send me into the midst of a war to fight when I was blinded from the nature of the true mission and only able to go by what limited information was given to me. How is it okay for me to be expected to fight, defend, and risk dying but that it is not okay for me to live in a home with the only two people who have shared Kushina-sensei? These rules, principles are senseless. I want to go home!" I burst in exasperation.

I was surprised that Hokkaidō allowed my voice to rise. Perhaps he actually agreed with me. I placed both of my hands over my mouth from fear that I had taken advantage of the council's patience with me. I was not a child any longer and these outbursts would get old quickly.

I could hear my argument echo due to the stark silence that followed it. Koharu-san refused to make eye contact with me and kept her head bowed in lack of answer.

"This decision is not up for debate," Danzō interceded.

Fear dissipated once more. I really disliked this man.

"Indeed, it is not," the Hokage took charge, "you will stay under Danzō's wing."

"No," I challenged against my better judgement, "I'll just stay in the Tsutoni residence. Have you all forgotten that my clan has land?"

"We feel that it is wiser for you to be monitored here within the city for your protection."

Here we go again. Did they not listen to my plea?

"Why? What could I possibly do alone in an empty house filled with remnants of my isolation and impending doom of being used as a pawn?"

Lord Hokage's eyes drifted to the ceiling as if he were holding back a sigh from my melodramatic speech eleven year old's should not make.

"I have no qualms with your notion. You will need someone with you though," Lord Third spoke.

"This child has already gotten her way with more than enough," Danzō voiced, "you are not only the last of your clan, but you ARE the Purple-Eyed Demon. Orochimaru is still wandering in the outside forests and rogues would take no restraint in taking you for the money! We cannot risk losing your power and the threat it would pose on the Land of Fire."

I felt like a caged bird at that moment in time. A pretty pet sealed away only to be freed into the flight of battle. It was as if I was suffocating from poison when I should taste fresh air. The anger that would normally boil and seep through my lips felt restrained as if it had a boundary. This continued a few minutes before any irritation I had became nonexistent.

_"It took longer than necessary, but I may have accomplished the art of sealing anger. Fear, sadness, and angst are still present and I cannot verify if I can keep anger at bay, but this is progress in the least. This will always be a challenge I fear."_

I tuned Hokkaidō out as the Hokage began to speak.

"Danzō and I have discussed the possibility of your wish to return home. As a precaution, he has carefully selected your guards and I trust him with this."

"I would prefer it if Uchiha Shisui were to be one of the guards. He is who my father selected and I am already familiar with him."

The room quieted at my constant disrespect as the Hokage contemplated my proposal.

"We shall discuss this further. You are dismissed. Please return here after the funeral so that we may conclude."

I sighed in relief and left with as much grace and dignity as possible. The second I hit the pavement outside, I ran. I ran to feel the wind slice my neck and whip my hair loose from the knot so that it could cascade behind me. I ran to so that the air would race under my feet. I ran to fly as a free bird to erase the dread I experienced as a trapped one earlier. Freedom was a concept I feared I would never have; at least not here.

After running for hours, I tripped over a collection of exposed branches deep within the forest I escaped to and tumbled to my doom; well damage-to-the-face doom. Instead of standing up to gather my bearings, I remained lifeless and in thought.

'How many other are like me? Stuck here for value, locked to this village for power?' Unsurprisingly, Hokkaidō answered.

_"All. You are lucky, little one. You have yourself, the last of your people. Unlike the Uchiha and Hyūga, you have no family to push, pull, or place you in a position of your distaste. Use your loneliness as a rock to stand on, as an advantage so that you can choose your future."_

You can choose your future. I would live by that quote each passing year that I was permitted to have. Eventually, I sat up and took note of my surroundings. I hadn't realized how in depth I traveled into the forest. The air was much cooler than I liked and it was remarkably quieter than I would have believed the canopy would be. It was too cold, too quiet.

That was when I smelled him, that snake in the grass.

I did not feel hatred, anger, or disgust. Fear creeped in, but I could tell it was limited. As a result, I was able to remain calm and cycled through different scenarios of attack and escape. Fight or flight? Time was not an ally in my predicament as his pungent odor worsened in my nostrils. His scaly skin slithered from the earth a few feet away.

Flashbacks of utter horror flooded my mind. He's here. This monster is here. Now may be the one chance I get at destroying him. I made an oath to myself that I would never cause death again, that I would never kill innocent from war or gain for my village. This man was not _man_ and he would be exempt from my promise. I clenched my fists, wishing that I was clad in my normal attire and not this stupid kimono that would get in the way. The hair that had fallen from my run was also going to be problematic.

The crazed reptile laughed at my unprepared stance.

"Why do you look ill? You should feel honored that I still have interest in you. Your siblings sacrifice was to further a much greater cause that you could not possibly fathom little Bri-chan," he smirked and brushed the hair from his eyes, "come with me and I will show you my ways. Perhaps you will see a new light in my conquests. You may find yourself willingly providing me with the-"

A hair pin that had managed to remain tangled in my hair rushed passed his face before he could continue.

"Shut up. You may claim that you slaughtered my clan, of countless others, for research, for knowledge, for gaining abilities you are too pathetic to develop on your own. It will always be seen as murder, as destruction to everyone else. You will never be able to change that truth. You, the Hokage, Danzō, all of you are the same; pressing your morals, your philosophies on the youth. As if we would understand and desire them too."

The trees shook and cracked as thunder around the surprised Sannin. It was as if the atmosphere knew of my attentions. He regained his composure and glared softly at the growing child before him. His neck snapped and his head flew towards me. I focused on his face as his smile widened, revealing venomous fangs that were intended for my neck. I managed to summon the wind to carry me above the trees. Orochimaru's mouth snapped shut leaving a dust of foliage swirling around the saliva drenched ground.

He heard my deep inhalation as he retracted his neck back to his body. Luckily, I had managed the needed hand signs before he could move and counter.

"Fuuton! Dance no Tatsumaki!" I smiled as his eyes glazed over and widened as four small twisters surrounded and collapsed upon the murderous beast. He was nowhere to be found.

The surrounding trees splintered and flew miles from the furious wind currents. I landed along with the debris around me. I frowned at the barren wasteland I created in place of the lush forest. The birds whose homes they would never fly to stung. Now would be the perfect time to flee. Shisui-kun would more than likely shake his head at my reckless behavior. If I were to be charged of the damage, I might as well kiss my chance at living back home away.

Or, they would acknowledge my strength and determination to fight a Sannin all on my own, and _win_. I blushed for the millionth time today thinking of Shisui's beautiful black eyes staring into mine, his lashes curling in a smile at my bravery and adoration for him.

_"Princess! Now is not the time for that. We must go soon. I sense several headed this way. I cannot tell if they are friend or foe. Leaf shinobi or not, Danzō's men are not to be trusted."_

Unsure of what to do, I headed back to where I thought the village was. Of all the times to suck at directions. The odds were in my favor as I smelled the cracker shop located in the Uchiha district. Once I got there, I would change into the black outfit required for the funeral.

I managed to change and near the grave site without any notice or speculation. The smell of depression dampened my soul. It was overwhelming to the point that I could not remain there. I stared at Kushina-sensei's picture and silently removed myself from the others. I found myself perched on the roof of the Hokage building; close enough to the funeral that with Hokkaido's help I was able to hear the ceremony.

The desire to cry ached tremendously. The pain I felt and the inability to release it through tears was frustrating. I waited patiently for the closing speech and positioned myself in a more private position so that I wouldn't be seen once the elders arrived.

Several minutes passed and I forced myself, once again, back into the summons room.

"Thank you for your timeliness as I am sure you are ready to pack your things and move," Lord Hokage began, "we have thoroughly discussed all options. Shisui may be one of the two protectors you will have when he is available. You must understand that he is a great asset to our forces and will be called on for classified missions. In his absence, Hatake Kakashi will be there and vice-versa. The second guard will be permanent and goes by the name Kinoe. You will be introduced once you have settled into your home. You are free to go."

It could have been worse, I suppose. I can only image what this Kinoe fellow would be like. I'd find out soon enough. I was in the process of packing my clothes that were left in Kurenai's home when she barged in.

"Where were you? I could not find you anywhere at the ceremony! It wasn't just for Kushina-sensei, you know. It was for the late Hokage and my father among many others!"

I could hear lightening cackle outside as she continued.

"How disrespectful can you possibly get? I can only imagine how rude you were with the Hokage and elders when Anko and I left. My papa took you in, cared for you as if you were his own and you couldn't even take the time to give him a last farewell? You bitch," she spat and fell to the ground sobbing.

I had heard too much crying. Too much, she just wouldn't understand. Instead of hating her for not relating to my own woes, I collapsed beside her; giving her the hug I wanted so much to give her earlier that day. We sat there, crunched over, until her sobs weakened.

"You did not deserve that, Bri-chan. I am truly sorry. I am saddened that you must go and lashed out in anger as a response. I'm starting to get as bad as you and Anko. I'm supposed to be the collected one after all!"

"No, you have the right to let it out. You cannot be reasonable all the time. Anko and I will have to learn that on our own. I love you very much and will see you later," I smiled and gathered my belongings.

I waved goodbye to her, unsure of where Anko was and met Shisui who took my luggage as we trekked to my abandoned home. The next day would be a new start and I would soon learn of the secrets this Kinoe held.


	17. Saving Stolen Starlets

This update was quick, huh? Anyway, I just wanted raise awareness that this chapter will have several points of view. I understand that can be confusing and I will do my best to keep it from being too much! Most of the story will be from Bri's point of view, naturally, but this particular chapter will be more than that. The reason for this is because I find that getting an insight from those around her will solidify an emotional relationship between her and others. This makes it more real, more relative; plus it will be nice knowing how she affects others so that it is not all one-sided. Thank you for understanding! Each point of view will be marked and noted like with previous chapters! ALSO, this chapter will contain content that may make readers uncomfortable.

I do not own Naruto; I'm just a fan borrowing the characters!

* * *

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

~**Danzō's POV**

_How soon until the witty girl discovered that my claim as her mother's uncle is invalid? How soon until Hiruzen confronts me regarding the matter? He is no fool. After all, he is the one that insisted that I provide physical evidence. Orochimaru's blood samples may have tricked the medical unit, but this lie can only last so long. Tsutoni blood can only last so long. Without Orochimaru's assistance, I would be found out soon._

I kept my worries within me as Hiruzen let the undisciplined girl have her way. Again. The best way to use the young Tsutoni and to learn more of her clan's wind styled techniques for my own use, would be to keep her with me; a feat that appeared to be impossible. Now, if only I had the Kotoamatsukami, I could convince the council to side with me.

"Danzō?" Lord Third inquired.

"Forgive me," I answered.

"Would you prefer to send your men or mine to check on the mess Princess Tsutoni seems to be making?"

"Mine will suffice," I replied and directed Kinoe to the sight.

* * *

**~Shisui's POV**

It took hours to straighten out the old Tsutoni home. The dust Bri left behind was enough to suffocate us, and did when she attempted to blow it away with her wind currents; which ultimately led to a grey cloud of death.

When everything was finally settled, I watched her cautiously as she took down paintings of her ancestors and replaced them with pictures of Team Kushina and my own family. I waited for any sudden outbursts of tears as I would expect from most girls; however, her face remained stoic...and bruised. The purple stone I kept around my neck had produced a bright warning glow earlier.

"My Princess, are you going to tell me about the damage you received to your face?"

Her porcelain skin turned scarlet; a blush I could never get used to.

"I fell tripping over some tree roots," she sighed.

"Ah, I can't say I'm surprised. Can you believe that your twelfth birthday is coming up?" I asked, knowing there was more to the story and that she would eventually tell me.

"Oh yeah! We'll be off on some mission then more than likely huh?" She responded, obviously relieved that I changed the subject.

**"**That is the rotten luck of being born in the summer."

"Thanks, Shis-kabob. You want to interrogate this 'Kinoe'?" She smarted.

If she only knew that her sassiness was the response I wanted when I teased her. She stuck her head out of the high arched window located in the den and called out for her second guard.

"Hey there, Kinoe! I have some questions for you. I know you're up there, so come in," she called out.

The very young Root member carefully stepped in through the opened window, clearly uncertain with the Purple-Eyed Tsutoni.

"So, I find it very strange that your chakra reminds me of my mother's. It's solid, like tree bark. Why?" She quickly asked, casually throwing that bombshell of a question.

I scoffed at her abruptness and grinned when she turned her startling clear, amethyst eyes my way. She returned her attention back to the boy and raised her eyebrow, urging him to answer. The only response was a shake of his head.

"You're not allowed to tell me or you just don't want to?" She continued.

One thing was for certain, she would not work as an interrogator. She was piss-poor at this job, but kami knows I wasn't about to say that to her face.

He shook his head again. Bri squinted her eyes in irritation. This was certainly entertaining.

"Are you only able to shake your head? If so, you're going to be one pathetic guard," she sassed, hoping to get more of an answer.

He removed his mask, revealing an impressive blunt-face stare. It was creepy even. I did my absolute best to keep from laughing out loud at Bri's response, but I failed. Her squinty expression became one of surprise and fear.

"Oh my. You're quite the odd ball. Stop that and I'll stop asking questions," she squealed and stepped back.

His stare relaxed, but his eyes remained larger than average.

"You're younger than me. How is it that Danzō finds you suitable for 'protection?'"

Kinoe turned the stare back on, forcing me to smirk as Bri twitched an eye and formed a tic mark on her forehead.

"Fine, I need to get groceries for us. Do you want to stay here, or come along with me?"

Kinoe shrugged his shoulders.

"Well then. Shis-kabob will stay here and finish putting my stuff up while we go buy food and other supplies."

"Huh?" I finally spoke up, "I am far from your servant, you little smart-mouthed-" she cut me off before I could finish.

"If I'm your princess, then you must be my slave," she giggled, winked, and surprised me by kissing my cheek before snatching Kinoe and leaving me behind.

I huffed, still in shock. I decided not to waste time and used my freedom to sift through her things. I stumbled across some interesting documents. A book she kept had a title that said it contained prophecies from her ancestors; however, when I opened it to get the goods, I found that it only contained jutsus of her clan.

They may have mislabeled the scroll purposefully. I felt a little guilty when I read though it; I could also use wind-style but hadn't told Bri. I figured that I could teach her to use the secrets here more easily than she could cypher on her own and that would mean confessing my secret. Also, many of what I found were forbidden, but I wouldn't hold them from her. If I didn't help her learn them correctly, she would try them on her own anyway which could cause her more harm than good.

* * *

**~Bri's POV**

Shisui knew I was a liar. I was so glad that he decided to leave me alone about my bruises. I didn't completely lie, but the truth of Orochimaru's involvement was a big deal to withhold. Luckily, I could use Kinoe to get out of there and take advantage of the alone time to figure the kid out.

"I understand that you aren't able to talk about your abilities and such, but you can speak?"

He nodded. Well, that was some progress. I asked a few more questions only to have him shrug them off. I needed to try a new tactic.

"What do you think about this?" I questioned, twirling a bracelet in my fingers.

He nodded again.

"Great! I'll get it for Kurenai and a matching one for Anko," I smiled, hoping to get a matching grin in response.

Nope, just the fish-eyed look.

He remained silent the rest of the trip. I felt as if I were talking to myself, but his body language suggested that he was listening and that hope was not useless. Maybe, just maybe I should get myself into trouble. Perhaps he will have to expose his talent as my protector then. What to do, what to do? Hokkaidō suggested that I do not do anything at all, but his opinions rarely count for anything.

* * *

**~Kinoe's POV**

Lord Danzō was dead set on having Tsutoni Bri work with him. The longer I remained in her company, the more his notion of capturing her by force became absurd. Even _if_ I pulled it off, I would have to deal with either Shisui-san or the Friend-Killer Kakashi which I will more than likely lose against. I mean, the girl told _Uchiha Shisui _what to do and _he listened_.

I'd rather stay out of the way for now and see how things go later. I did use most of my stamina to rebuild the forest she annihilated. Speaking of which, she knew something was off about my chakra. It is only a matter of time before I'm forced to show her. Then, she may associate Danzō with Orochimaru. In that case, I can only imagine the drama.

What is she doing?

Princess Tsutoni was on the roof of the jewelry shop doing back flips. Suddenly, she leapt from the building as if she were a bird, arms flapping, as she tried to fly. Her intentions were all too clear and I wanted to let her fall knowing that she would probably use her own jutsu to cushion herself; however, I didn't want to risk that not being the case and have her break her neck. Reflex took over, and I reached out to catch the mischievous girl.

* * *

**~Bri's POV **

"Success is mine!" I cheered as Kinoe frowned, "Now that is out of the way, you really aren't able to avoid my concerns. I will not harass you too much. As a matter of fact, I only have one question. I know that Orochimaru is responsible for your talent. Is Danzō as well?"

The obviously upset-with-himself kid looked down and shook his head no. I still felt suspicious, but I had plenty of time to learn the truth. Just like with Shisui and my encounter with the snake.

I dreaded the trip back home and headed straight to the kitchen to cook, prolonging the agony.

"So, did you find out anything special about Kinoe?" I jumped at Shisui's approach.

I shamefully blushed at his appearance. He had already removed his standard attire and was only clothed in light-material shorts and an Uchiha high-necked shirt. Fortunately, he ignored my stare and waited patiently for me to answer without stutters.

"Yes, I did. He's a wood-style user," his eyes widened significantly, entertaining my story.

"And how did you manage to witness that?"

"Well, that's irrelevant Shisui-kun! Can I ask you a question?"

"Ask away," he encouraged.

"Was that jutsu not used on the Nine-Tails a long time ago?"

"Yes," he eventually answered.

"I don't understand. Why was he not...Kushina-sensi could still be..." I began to trail.

"Why don't I finish this while you go sit and look over the mission I've accepted for us."

I nodded and let him finish the food. When I entered the den, Kinoe was standing by the window he came in earlier that afternoon, staring out of it aimlessly. I occupied a pillow on the floor by the coffee table and read over the mission statement.

Yay, The Bitch, Dao, would not be a part of this one. I bet she's foaming out the mouth about that. The mission stated rumors regarding the kidnappings of talented young girls. The villages affected feared that the missing starlets were being sold into some black market affair. Fun. I sighed and set the scroll back down. I was surprised to see that Kinoe had moved from his stance to get closer to me. He peered over my shoulder and read what I had looked over. That sneaky bastard.

"So, how do you think Anko and Kurenai will respond to the mission we've been assigned?" Shisui questioned, placing the food next to me.

"I'm not sure, I guess we'll find out soon enough!"

That night, I slept restlessly. The same nightmare of the orange masked man forced me awake in a panic that Hokkaidō was not able to subdue. Both boys were at the foot of my bed with mirroring expressions of worry. I rolled my eyes and told them to go away. This continued a few days until the night before we set out on the mission, so when that morning came, I was in no mood for Anko's boisterous personality.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRI-CHAN!" She bellowed.

I hadn't seen her since I gave her and Kurenai the bracelets I had purchased earlier in the week.

"Thank you!" I responded, just so she could attack me with questions.

"So, what did Shisui-senpai get you?"

"A dozen bouquets of lilies. My home smells amazing!"

Anko leaned in and whispered, "it won't be much longer until you become a woman."

Ugh. I knew what she meant by that. Hokkaidō was NOT ready either. She laughed at my pout and returned her focus on Shisui as he informed our team of the mission details.

"Basically we pretend to be talented individuals, so that we _possibly_ win whatever competition we enter. Then, we _possibly_ get kidnapped as a result only to be _possibly_ sold as slaves; all so we can _possibly_ find the missing girls?" Anko asked.

"Exactly," our leader sighed at her obvious attack on his uncertainty.

"Do we even have any talents to stand out in this? All the contestants are going to have something special and most competitions as these have rules forbidding the use of jutsu. They don't like tricks," I voiced as we began our trip out of our own village.

"I know, we can be a trio of singers," Kurenai voiced with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"If we could sing," Anko responded sarcastically.

"I can!" Kurenai argued.

"Okay, and what about me and Bri?"

"I can dance," I smiled as they looked oddly at me.

"What?" they asked.

"It's no big deal. I had to learn several different dances for parties that were hosted at the Daimyo's place; not that I attended many as I was so young. I doubt I'll attend anymore either. My mother was an embarrassing drunk and misbehaved the last time."

My team continued to look at me as if I had said the craziest thing. Genma was the first to break the silence.

"Well then, we have a singer and a dancer, what about Anko?"

"You can't laugh," she spoke up, "I am a beast at painting."

"That's it? You're acting like that's horrible or something," Kurenai smiled.

"But, it is! I don't want anyone thinking that I'm weak because I have an artsy side. Just because I enjoy painting flowers, rainbows, and all things girly doesn't make me weak!" She exclaimed.

"Kami forbid," I stated at her rampage as the three of us girls grouped together to talk about our ideas.

The boys remained in front of us and would look back every so often with confused expressions.

"I don't understand why they are so giddy about a little talent-beauty-thing. I mean, they have the potential of getting sold into a bitter place and they aren't even worried," Genma noted as Kurenai squealed "that will look great with your hair" to Anko.

"They are definitely not taking it seriously. All they heard was 'talented young girls' and think they are. I don't plan on letting them really participate in the show," Shisui said matter-of-factly.

"But isn't that the whole point? It's the most efficient way to complete the task quickly," Genma asked.

"I was thinking more along the lines of us doing it. I don't fancy placing Bri-Bri in danger like that," Shisui grinned.

"What?! You cannot be serious right now! No way am I doing that!" Genma smarted.

"Not doing what?" The three of us ladies asked (I acted like I had not been listening for their sake.)

"Nothing. We were just discussing options," Shisui said with authority.

Oh great, he's back to that captain status of his.

I rolled my eyes, "sure thing Shisui-_senpai_," I answered dryly after my eye roll.

Suddenly, he tripped me as I made my way over to Genma to ask him what they were discussing since I would not be getting anywhere with Shis-kabob.

I stumbled forward and jerked myself back to keep from falling, only to be slung backwards from the weight of my bag. Laughter erupted from my team as I struggled to kick, roll, and push myself up until Shisui grabbed me by my shoulders and hoisted me up himself. It was at that moment that I discovered how much smaller I was to him and to the others for that matter.

This is going to be an interesting trip. I'm a whole year older, another year wiser and so was Shisui. I sighed at the thought of his arrogance and all four of my teammates turned their heads towards me.

"Can't I just sigh in peace, please?" I smarted.

They quickly turned away and refused to make eye contact with me again until we reached our temporary camp ground located between two rivers. Man I was in a bad mood. Apparently, Kurenai was in one as well as I heard her growling at the tent she was attempting to assemble. The boys stayed away as we gathered sticks and refilled our water supply from one of the rivers.

Something unpleasant hit me as I was bent; I felt as if I had wet myself and all sanity left me.

"Shit! Oh my shit! Why now? Why here? Why on my birthday?" I shrieked ever so softly.

Kami was a real ass hole sometimes. Anko and Kurenai quickly came to my aid.

"What? What is it Bri-chan?" They asked.

"Remember that talk Kushina-sensei had with us? Well, my time is here. Like, right here, right now," I wined.

They exchanged panicked expressions and we quickly formulated a plan. We had passed a small town twenty minutes from here and decided it best to head back there for the much needed supplies.

"What do we do about Shisui and Genma?" I asked with humiliating embarrassment. I couldn't possibly tell them why we needed to go back.

"Don't worry! I'll distract them," Anko responded and we trusted her.

Kurenai and I hurriedly ran back to the village. Luckily, a light was still on in one of the shops of their tiny marketplace. Kurenai knocked on the door carefully and we were greeted by a tiny old lady as tall as me.

"Hello there young ones! What brings you here so late? I was just about to close up," she asked warmly.

"You see, my friend here...needs some things..." Kurenai motioned towards me.

"I see! Hurry, hurry. I have what you need, little miss."

She handed us several packages and explained that we would not have to pay a thing. We thanked her for her graciousness and kindness and headed back to our camp stealthily. We overheard Anko pleading dramatically about giving us more time to come back as we had "gotten into a huge fight" and were regaining our composure. I looked over at Kurenai who looked like a ghost.

"I think...I think I'm suffering now too. This is your fault!" She huffed and smirked at me.

"As long as I am not dying alone," I teased her.

We continued to sneak towards the other river opposite from the one we had gotten our water from before. We stripped from the ruined clothes and jumped in.

"Ugh, I feel so much better now," we said in unison.

We lost track of time as we swam and bathed ourselves. We did not even hear the others approach.

"Fighting huh?" Shisui asked Anko irritably.

We ducked deep into the water as he continued to glare at her.

"Uchiha Shisui!" I barked, turning the issue onto him as if he were responsible, "do you have any class or manners?"

He blushed as he comprehended what he had witnessed. Genma chuckled as he also turned around to face the trees, allowing us to get out and re-dress ourselves.

"It's not like you have anything to hide," Shisui mumbled.

Oh no, he didn't.

"Do you remember who my mother is? You better believe that I will be admired one of these days you little piece of—" Kurenai's hand slapped my mouth before I could finish.

Those idiots finally left us some privacy. Shisui and Genma were already in their tent by the time we finished which gave us time to prepare a plan for the upcoming show. Luckily, Kurenai's and my first experience of womanhood ended before we reached the final destination. We three girls shared a room while the other two of our team stayed next door in the dingiest hotel those troublesome males could find.

We debated over which costumes to wear and which music to use. After several hours of decision making, we came to our final choices and were climbing in our beds when we heard a knocking on our door.

"Oi, Bri-Bri. Open up," Shisui demanded.

That is it. I'm getting beyond tired of his uncouth behavior.

"No," I said, biting my tongue from snapping at him.

I heard Hokkaidō laugh pathetically. He was also having a rough few days. How horrible that the mighty wolf has to be sealed within a female vessel. Woe is he.

"I will not hesitate to kick it open," he calmly responded.

"Do what you must. I'm going to bed," I just as calmly answered as my friends barely stifled their giggles.

And the door came down.

"Genma and I have plans to discuss with you," he started, walking over the door as if that was a daily thing.

"Seriously? Can't it just wait until tomorrow?" I glared at the two invaders.

"No," Genma answered smiling.

They informed us that they were going to disguise themselves as girls for the show so that they will be taken directly into the danger and resolve the trouble internally to prevent us girls from suffering.

"So the genius has spoken," I began the second he finished his stupid strategy.

"You two will pretend to be chicks with talent even though you are so masculine without any dainty traits. This is so that we real girls, with real potential, do what? Stay here? Come on Shis-kabob, you are the sensory type and the most proficient at diplomacy which could be used in this situation. You know that if for some reason you need us for rescue, we would struggle to find you and ruin the whole mission."

"Damn, Shisui. Looks like your attempt at keeping your 'little princess' safe didn't work out," Genma taunted as his comrade's nostrils flared.

He knew defeat when it was met.

"They've been rather obnoxious haven't they?" Anko asked after they left, pulling up the door behind them.

"Maybe they're going through what we are?" Kurenai suggested.

They are two years older; they should be past that.

"Hmph," I halfheartedly agreed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.

The sun beamed into our bedroom as we stretched our tired limbs. My chest hurt significantly and all I could think was "yay for boob growth!" I dressed quickly in my light purple dance costume. The top was a flowy, one sleeved crop top while the bottoms were sheer harem pants with a pleated scarf on the front.

Kurenai's dress was long, fitted, and red. Anko dressed in an orange kimono with intricate yellow chrysanthemums sewn throughout. Kurenai and Anko kept their hair in their usual style. I allowed Kurenai to brush mine so that I could have it hang loosely for once. Shisui had also packed contact lenses to conceal my unique eye color. I noted that one was gold while the other black. I suppose he could be thoughtful when he tried.

Once we were finished, we concealed our costumes with the white cloaks provided to us at registration. Due to my sir name, I opted for a different one, Hatake. His was not common, but no one from here would recognize it like they would Tsutoni. It wasn't like he would know that I borrowed it. I laughed out loud thinking about the ever-so-serious-and-never-going-outside-of-the-box Kakashi and how his name was being used for a 12 year old's dance.

"You do know Shisui's going to be jealous," Anko teased as we made our way to the entrance.

"What are you talking about? He would totally understand. It's not like I'm his real girlfriend despite what everyone says," I sassed back.

"Oh, please. You are betrothed to him, if you want me to break it down for you," she giggled.

She's right. But still, I am a free lady. As we made our way backstage, I noted Shisui and Genma among the growing crowd. They were dressed in the village's common attire with no obvious weapons exposed. We were behind the performance area for several more minutes when the host took the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have gathered here today in search of star potential. Let us not wait any longer and begin!" The audience must have been massive with the loud applause they provided.

Contestant after contestant took their turn as my team waited. Anko was the only one out of the three of us that didn't appear nervous. She was also the first from our group to go. She fiddled with her easel and headed beyond the curtain.

Unlike all of the competition so far, she had no music playing for her piece. It was a smart move as silence was key to building up the climax of her work. When she finally returned, she goofily grinned from the cheer echoing behind her. She showed us the picture and it was of the flower decorating her kimono.

"How was it?" Kurenai asked nervously.

"Freaking fantastic! Oh, and Shisui and Genma are not the only shinobi from our village out there. There were two ANBU from the Leaf as well," she informed.

More than likely, the Hokage found it necessary to send backup. Maybe this whole thing was more serious than I had really assumed. I wouldn't be surprised if Kakashi was one of the two. My luck was like that.

"Hatake Bri," the announcer beckoned. Oh dear kami, was it my turn already?

"Go Bri-chan!" Anko urged, pushing me onto the stage since I wasn't budging. I felt as if I would hurl at any moment.

The curtains were drawn back to present me and I quickly located my male teammates to gain some reassurance. Shisui looked irritated while Genma sat smirking beside him. I also found the two ANBU Anko had mentioned. I recognized the wild grey hair and the small frame next to his. Kakashi and Kinoe, eh? Of course.

My song of choice, _River Flows in You_, played by a koto began. The music as well as my sweet Hokkaidō instantly soothed my nerves as I spun, hopped, and kicked to the familiar dance. I felt my long hair twirl along with me. I missed the wind in my ears, beating my face and this dance was helping me satisfy those clan needs. As I spun, I thought of my father teaching me the basics of chakra control, of how the wind would feel within and around me. Before I knew it, the song came to an end and I walked away breathless.

"That was phenomenal!" Anko cheered as they greeted my return.

Kurenai was last and she had to have stolen the show with the applause she received. Hopefully this win was in the bag. The host announced the top three and my trio took those places. He placed tiaras on each of our heads and then asked that we follow him as he dismissed the cheering crowd. We were directed into a room where we were met by two other men.

"Looks like the best crop yet," one said.

My friends eyed one another hesitantly. We had agreed to leave the rescuing to the boys and to use no jutsu. It was peril that we stick to it in order for this to be successful. True to our promise, we withheld any evidence of shinobi skill and held our hands.

"Remember, there are four elite leaf ninja back there," I whispered reassurance.

We were quickly stuffed into burlap sacks and literally thrown into what must have been a carriage. I closed my eyes and focused on the wolf within me. It was unnerving not knowing where I was, where I was going, how long it would be, or how soon I would see Shisui's confident smile whenever I doubted him.

What of Anko and Kurenai? I had a spirit to deal with the fear while they had nothing but their own faith. Truth was, Hokkaidō was the only thing keeping me sane as I suffocated blindly. Any air left in my lungs evaporated and I succumbed into the darkness around me.

Whenever I awoke, I felt weak, lost, and very much naked. My vision was blurred, so I relied on my other senses. I felt the burning of rope around my wrists and ankles as I was in a kneeling position on the ground. My bare skin felt no breeze, confirming that we had to be underground. I tested the chakra of my friends and noted that their flow was inconsistent. _Genjutsu_.

My sight slowly began to restore and I focused my line of vision before me. Anko was tied to a chair, nude, with her head hanging limp. She appeared undamaged, but who knows what may have happened while I was out. I may have been exposed, but I could tell nothing monstrous was done to me. Next, I searched for Kurenai and noted that she was not in the room with us. Because I was able to sense her chakra, she couldn't have been too far.

Anko and I were alone. My best option was to get her awake. She had no restraints, so if I were to get her conscious, she could free me and we would head to Kurenai. Shisui's training allowed me to use simple wind bullets, breathing techniques, and any air manipulation around me without the need for hand signs.

I am still amazed at the progress I made learning under him. I inhaled sharply, and blew a burst of wind towards her. The current shifted her back just enough that when her body fell forward, the jolt snapped her awake. It didn't take long for her to deduct the situation and use the chair she was on to snap the rope used on me. She did not appear distressed, so I safely assumed that she also remained untouched despite her naked appearance.

"Bri, I know now is not the time and that this is inappropriate, but I swear your chest has gotten bigger,"

My mouth popped open in surprise and I checked myself out. They had to have been growing at a steady rate. I'll have to have a talk with that woman who birthed me over this development.

"It happened overnight. I'm just as surprised. Now, let's go get Kurenai," I urged.

We silently made our way to the exit. Anko waited for me to test the surroundings. I couldn't find any other chakra but our trapped comrade's, so I nodded to go on. The hall was empty and I used Hokkaidō's enhanced sensory to pin point her location. When we entered, we were met with a grim sight. She was in a standing position, leaned against the wall. She was shivering even though the air was hot and unmoving. I noted the price tag attached to the belt around her waist. Her arms clutched her chest as she kept her gaze to the floor.

"Kurenai," Anko whispered, bringing the red-eyed gaze to us.

The fear lessened from her face, but I could tell she was still uneasy even though the genjutsu used was released.

"I'm okay, just shaken up a bit. The things...the things they said they would do...that they did do to the girl sharing the room with me...I'm just...appalled and afraid," she rambled, releasing the tension as we were also afraid of the worst out of her.

"Do you know which way they went?" Anko began again.

"Yes. I'd say we have less than an hour before they return. How much longer until our rescue gets here?" She asked me.

"I...I can't find them," I admitted sheepishly.

We shifted awkwardly in the silence.

Suddenly, I felt him. A flood was coming.

Several years ago I had confessed to Shisui about how his chakra felt. Whenever he was with me, it was sunny, floral. Literally sun shining on a lily. But whenever he was upset, it changed. For everyone but he, chakra scent stayed the same. His manipulation was one of the reasons I was so smitten by him. His frustrated chakra was rainy, like a forest after a down poor. Now, it was a flood of pure thunder and I knew he was unpleasant to any who were around him.

"They're close," I gasped in response to how strong he appeared though Hokkaidō. I could almost taste the storm.

They smiled as we all jumped away from the center of the room due to the commotion that was erupting from it. A pack of mutts dug though the floor and one of the smaller hounds demanded we follow. By the time we crawled to where we came from, we were coated with dirt and debris from the trail. Not only were we bare to the bone, but we were dirty as well. Both of which I was very self-conscious of when we climbed out and were met with the two ANBU, Genma and Shisui.

Shisui's frown deepened to a grimace as he turned it to Kakashi.

"Look at them! I told you that they should have been our priority. I don't care what you said about getting to them last, to use them as bait until we freed the others. I swear to whatever deity you believe in, that if something happened to _her_, I will make you rip open your own rib cage and tear your lungs out without so much as a blink," he threatened, Sharingan ablaze.

I gasped at his remark. He was well known to be passive, and preferred to use other measures such as incapacitating the enemy as opposed to killing them. This was not standard behavior from him and I was responsible for it.

"Shisui-kun," I whispered, "I'm okay, I'm safe and untouched as they are."

The flood didn't lessen at all, and I was afraid that my words alone were not good enough.

"We'll see when we get you three to the hospital here."

That was the last he spoke until we were thoroughly examined and released with confirmation that we were still, dare I say the word, virgins.

Kakashi waved farewell awkwardly and he and Kinoe took off home ahead of us.

Anko, Kurenai, and Genma also took pace ahead to allow the two of us privacy.

"I'm not going to apologize," he started before I could even speak.

At a loss for words, I shook my head. He shouldn't have to after all. My cheeks burned as I stood on my tip toes to delicately place a kiss on his mouth. The first kiss I had ever given, had ever received. It was after an unpleasant mission, it was out of fear of losing him to the Uchiha curse, and it was out of pure, untainted love that I could not stop beating in my veins for him.


	18. Chunin Exams: Part 1

I'm getting pretty quick with these updates :D

You know the disclaimer drill.

* * *

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

~Bri's POV

After the last mission, Shisui found it best to take a month off from work to prepare us for the Chūnin exams. Anko was to work with Genma while Kurenai would train with Dao. I would be alone with Shisui again at last, well besides from the Kinoe fellow lurking around outside.

"Bri-Bri, are you ready to learn some of your clan's techniques?" Shisui asked, interrupting the full body stretch I was making before taking the much needed nap I was looking forward to.

"Huh? I thought you said we would take a break for a few days before we started, Shisui-kun," I whined.

"Hey now, my princess, some of what you need to learn can't wait. Besides, it is long overdue that we get serious about your abilities. I've literally babied you. How can I trust that the next run in you have with Orochimaru will leave you with only a bruised face?"

My eyes bugged as my secret was exposed.

"H-How did you find out about that?" I asked innocently.

"By that response! I can't believe you would have kept that from me you blonde bimbo. Whatever, we'll talk about it later. Go change into something light weight that you can run in and meet me outside by the dying Katsura tree," he requested.

I sifted through my wardrobe and dressed in my normal training attire to faithfully meet my _senpai_ outside.

"That was speedy," he smiled, "what you'll be learning this month requires stamina. The best way to build that up is by endurance training; running."

"Yay!" I cheered. Running is easy and being the Tsutoni that I am, I loved it.

"You say that now," his smiled widened, "but let's see how you feel about that later. Catch me."

That devil. I was not only getting the rare opportunity to watch his famous Shunshin in person, but I was expected to _catch_ him as well? Dear Kami.

I hesitated before taking off; it was impossible to see him 90% of the time. I caught myself relying more on my other senses during the pursuit and less on vision. Even after using chakra scent to locate where he was to run after him, it was too late. I wanted to scream in frustration so I did.

"You're too damn fast!" I raged and could hear the faint sounds of laughter escape him as he continued to pop around the yard.

Nearly half an hour had passed and my legs felt limper than cooked ramen noodles. I stopped to take a break only to have him also pause and laugh at my failure.

"A Tsutoni with the wind at her beck and call can't even catch me. Imagine how ashamed Hokkaidō must feel at her weakness!" The fool bragged and took off in his poofing spree in a pattern; _In __a pattern_.

I gaped at my stupidity. He really was babying me! I remained standing a few more minutes to memorize the exact points where he would solidify and when. When I felt that I had gotten the picture, I snapped my neck side to side, hopped from one leg to the other, shook my arms loose, and then took off as fast as I could ever imagine to the next place he would reappear.

I felt the air in my lungs collapse as I ran full force into the Shunshin no Shisui, tackling him to the ground. I laid immobile where I landed until I could breath again. Once I gathered my bearings, I discovered that I had landed on the poor guy with my innocent lady bit smothering his face as he struggled to push me off. My ears felt hotter than irons as I managed to roll off him with as much integrity as I could manage. His face was also decorated in embarrassment as he managed to sit up breathing heavily.

A very small laugh broke our red-faced silence. We looked to where it came from and were a little surprised to find it had come from the silent Kinoe.

"Ugh, Bri-chan. You almost killed me," Shisui growled as I laughed.

"It's your fault, Shis-kabob. I was only doing what you asked," I giggled.

"What? You didn't have to tackle me with that much force, you crazy lady," he argued.

"Oh yeah, like that was on purpose," I spat as my laughter vanished once I realized that he was getting defensive.

He scowled and stood up, holding his hand out for me to take.

"I'm sorry. I'm just a little pissed that you manged to catch me and nearly broke me in the process. It's been a long time since someone has successfully hit me that I forgot how painful it can be," he explained his apology.

The chase game was played the remainder of that first week and I could tell that I was faster, more nimble, and more than ready to learn more.

"Please don't be mad at me, but I found this and read through it," he stated.

I bit my tongue as he held up the parchment related to my clan's prophecies. It was personal, but he would have been the first I would show it to anyway so I couldn't be mad.

"Okay," I responded and waited for him to elaborate.

"It's full of jutsu, not dreams."

"Oh. This whole time? I've had every wind styled jutsu at the palm of my hands!"

"Uh no, not exactly. These are just the ones that were developed by the Tsutoni, Bri. Not even your clan could master all wind styles that require other nature talents."

"Haha, oh yeah," I sheepishly smiled.

"All of these are forbidden as they could cause minor to sever damage to the user if used incorrectly. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

"So, the first thing that I will help you learn is the most difficult and you'll need to practice it daily the remainder of this month before you can use it in an actual fight. It's by far the most dangerous of all the jutsu listed in here and I would honestly only prefer that you use it only if you absolutely have to."

"That serious, huh?"

"Yes. It was solely intended against fire release users. Apparently, it was developed to defend against the Uchiha specifically— as if your ancestors needed to with genjutsu being ineffective against them.

"A technique against fire release? Aren't there many water styles that can take those on?"

"Sweet Bri, how you have been so sheltered. It takes as many as 3 water style users to even defend against one Uchiha fire stream. This jutsu you will learn is much fiercer than putting out flames."

"I'm not following," I stated my ignorance.

"In all essence, you are going to learn how to breathe the fire. Unlike my clan who uses the chakra within ourselves to produce the fire, your clan designed a way to _inhale_ what we make, enhance it with their own chakra, and then re-fire it back against the original maker. This ultimately increased the fire ball by ten fold."

"Daaaaamn...and you think I can do this?"

"I'm hoping. According to the records listed in here, less than half could use it. The other half either tried and critically wounder themselves in the process or died."

"So...I may kill myself?"

"Eh, don't think like that! You're a fucking beast, and I think you can do it or I wouldn't be wasting my time," he smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"I won't doubt the mighty Shisui," I winked.

"First things first, we need to work on breath control," he began.

We sat near the sad, gray Katsura tree with our legs crossed and eyes closed in a meditating stance. He instructed me to mimic him as he inhaled through his nose and exhaled from his mouth. We did this several minutes and moved on to the next step.

"Okay Princess, now I need you to inhale as much air as you can and hold it tightly in your lungs until I tell you to release it."

I nodded and waited for him to give me the okay to exhale. Twenty seconds later, my eyes widened in fear. My chest ached as he shook his head, _no not yet. _I manage to hold it an entire minute before he instructed me to release the carbon dioxide trapped in my body.

"Goddamn Shis-kabob! Are you trying to kill me?" I dramatically coughed.

"A minute and a half isn't long enough," he mumbled to himself as I continued to gasp for oxygen.

"Bri, you will have to be able to hold that in your lungs for at least three minutes before we can progress to the next part. So, you need to get over this limitation. Let's keep trying for the next hour."

I glared at him and obeyed reluctantly. I wasted an entire hour of my life learning how to hold my breath like a professional deep sea fisherman.

"Excellent, Bri-chan! Now that we know you can do it, take a short break so that we can move on to the next important phase."

"Thank kami," I muttered and watched him head back to the house. A few minutes later he returned with a candle.

"Are you ready for the next step?" I nodded as he lit the candle.

"I need you to breathe in the flame, hold it for three minutes, and then exhale. Hokkaidō should be familiar with this practice, so don't panic at the heat," he reassured.

I looked questioningly at the tiny flame and waited for Hokkaidō to tell me to begin. The second he agreed that I could do it, I did and it was horrible. All I could do was choke on the heat scalding my lungs, throat, and tongue. Once I regained control again, Shisui re-lit the candle and waited for me to try again.

"Seriously?" I sputtered.

"It's not time to give up yet. You're doing well," he encouraged and motioned for the candle.

I gave him my eye-roll and tried again as any good student would. We continued the nonsense several more time before the fire no longer hurt to swallow.

"See! You're picking this up faster than I really thought. Maybe you're a little genius," he teased because we both knew it was just happenstance.

"You're prepared for the last part of the exercise. The part where you actually make the jutsu happen, little love. Once you consume the flame, infuse it with your own chakra. That can take the three minutes you needed to work for. After you add it, breathe it out," he quickly finished, trying to cover up his accident at calling me love.

I silently requested that Hokkaidō at least try to cover up my blush; it had been getting out of hand lately.

I did as Shisui instructed. When I released the air, a blaze of flame cascaded around us. Neither Shisui nor I expected as much intensity that it bore and we probably would have been caught in the midst of it all had Kinoe not been there to drown the fire.

"Holy shit!" He exclaimed, "It's time for a break!"

The next trick I learned was a barrier jutsu dubbed by my ancestors as the _Wind Sealing Barrier_. The maker would encase whatever, usually a large group of people, into what felt like an invisible box that nothing outside of the box could infiltrate unless they broke the hand sign used to keep it up. It was intended to protect entire units of shinobi in war. Pretty impressive other than the fact that the barrier would only hold as long as the user kept their hand sign unbroken. What was even more unfortunate was that the maker itself could not be within the box. This process consumed an overwhelming amount of chakra and would only be used to protect comrades.

It was more simple to learn than I thought, so I mastered it within the same day of learning it. The next technique was called _Air Thieving_ as it involved literally sucking out the oxygen from and around an opponent so that they would be left incapacitated or worse, dead. For the life of me, I cannot explain why I enjoyed practicing this one, but I did. I used the beetles around the house as my victims as they were the one thing in the universe that I feared. Shisui eventually had to put a stop to my beetle massacre once he realized how overboard and sadistic I had taken things.

The final forbidden Tsutoni jutsu I would be taught from Shisui was an immobility one. I had learned all about the Nara clan's _Shadow Possession_ stuff, so I rightfully assumed that this would be somewhat similar. Instead of using shadows to freeze a person, I was required to thicken the air around them as I would the _Wind Sealing Barrier_ only this was more like entangling someone in a spider web as opposed to a safe box. This one only required a single hand sign as with the barrier, but I could break the sign once I tied off the webbing around the enemy. Also unlike with the _Shadow Possession_, I was not stuck to the ensnared person and could do as I pleased. Releasing the jutsu was an entirely different matter.

In order to free whatever was trapped, I would have to untie the knot and reverse the webbing exactly as I had formed it. It was tricky and most certainly a pain in the ass. I sincerely felt bad for Kinoe who was being used for this practice. The poor kid looked relieved when the month of training ended as did Shisui. I knew they were probably ready to kill me at that point, but they kept up a good attitude with my progress.

Shisui summoned Anko and Kurenai the following Monday after the last weekend of our month of training. He led us to the building hosting the first part of our Chūnin Exams and smiled worriedly.

"Please, oh please, be respectful and try to refrain from trouble my little princess," he warned and waved good bye.

This would be the first exam since the Third Shinobi War that other nations were invited to participate in. It was certainly intimidating to see more than enough older faces compared to my team's young age of 12-13.

We didn't have to stew under the stares of the older genin for too long as an older Kunoichi with square glasses and choppy black hair welcomed us. She possessed a look of crazy in her eyes and we waited over ten minutes with her just gazing at the lot of us.

"Are we supposed to say something?" Anko mumbled to Kurenai and me.

"I'm sorry, but I believe I have heard an out of turn comment!" The crazy lady spoke up and zeroed in on my trio. The fellow Leaf around us turned in our direction as well. I recognized a few, one of them belonging to one of my bullies from the academy. I saw her eyes widen as she absorbed my eye transformation. She could no longer tease me on any physical deformity now, the stupid girl.

"Well? Which of you brats is it?" The proctor questioned.

My team looked at one another with confused expressions. We did this frequently whenever either of us said nasty things about Dao. If we acted like we didn't know what she was talking about, she would ignore it thinking she were just hearing things. Apparently, that was not going to work with this woman.

"Do not make me repeat myself," she warned. Anko took ownership and answered.

"I only asked if we were supposed to say something. You have answered that."

Kurenai and I sighed exasperated breaths. Didn't she listed to a word Shisui said? To think he was worried about me being a smart ass! The woman smiled at her response and turned away.

"It's now ten o'clock sharp everyone, take a seat at the desks in the room to your left. We will begin the written portion of the exams there. Most of you will fail, I hope," she added as she focused the comment at Anko.

We settled next to one another as we entered the designated room. We chose the most centered row of desks. It was the most logical place after all. After everyone was seated, the glasses lady from before took position up front.

"Here are the rules; one, no cheating. All of you understand the definition of the term so I'll not specify what I would consider cheating. Two, if you are caught cheating, you and your team are out of here. Lastly, if one from your team fails to answer at least one question accurately, you all fail. Any questions?"

A boy of at least Shisui's age raised his hand.

"Yes," the proctor asked impatiently.

"I don't want to fail because of a teammate's stupidity."

"And, your point?" She asked with more impatience.

"Well, are there no other alternatives?"

"Of course! If you do not feel that yourself or your comrades are ready, then you can all leave now," she smiled.

"Oh..um.." the boy trailed as his team glared at him, pulled him from his seat, and drug him out of the door.

Two other teams lacking confidence rose and left too. I glanced around the room. Only seven teams remained other than my own. It also appeared that mine was the youngest. Unbeknownst to me, Shisui, Dao, and Genma waited outside and worriedly watched the older groups leave.

"Now that the weak minded are out an are no longer wasting our time, let's begin," she said as she handed out the test papers.

I never cared much for written work, but tests were never too difficult to do. I flipped the test over and checked out the first question.

1\. What is the role of a medical nin?

I re-read the question to make sure I didn't miss anything. Could this be a trick? I decided it best to answer honestly. I heard Anko snort next to me, but I refused to look at her. I wasn't about to be accused of cheating. The next questions were just as obvious, so I only answered half and stopped. The Jōnin in charge only said to answer one correctly. Eventually, the timer buzzed making Kurenai jump. The boss took up the papers and quickly scanned them over.

"You, you, and the team from the Hidden Stone all pass. The rest get out of here," she announced.

I couldn't believe only nine of us had passed that silly test. Anko must have thought the same as she giggled.

"I only answered the first question and filled in the rest with sketches of flowers," she said as we followed the proctor outside.

"You are so childish Anko. A test is a test and you should still take it seriously even if the questions were silly," Kurenai reprimanded.

"Still, I'm curious how all those other teams failed. It seems like it would have been harder to fail than to pass," I intervened.

Shisui, Genma, and Dao waved farewell happily to us as they concluded our pass with the first test.

"All right remaining genin, since there are only three teams left, this is how we are going to do this. One team will have the fire scroll and one will have the water one. Obviously the team without the scroll will need to get one. The two teams that open their scrolls in the tower at the center of this forest pass. We don't have much time, so you all have a three day time limit. You from the Stone take the water scroll, you babies take the fire," she concluded as she handed the red sealed scroll to Kurenai.

We ran in and to our left while the other two teams went to the right. At least we wouldn't be targeted first! Kurenai took position of leader and suggested that we stop running after only ten minutes of it.

"Why are we resting? Shouldn't we be going as quickly as we can to the tower? We only have two and a half days to really get this done," Anko commented.

Kurenai shushed her by motioning her hand in a "keep quiet" fashion. After five more minutes of this silence, she sighed in relief.

"Okay, it doesn't appear that the team missing a scroll changed courses to get to us. I think it's best to remain here for the day and think up a strategy for defense if we have a confrontation," Kurenai suggested.

"Sounds good to me," I agreed. I could tell Anko wanted to argue, but she kept it to herself.

"Anko, please set up traps around our area so that Bri and I can gather firewood and see if there is a water source nearby."

Anko and I nodded and began to do as she instructed. I silently thanked Shisui for urging us to pack camping equipment. Tents would keep those creepy crawlies from getting to me.

The next day was rough and redundant as hell. Kurenai had us covering our trail every step of the way. Anko was bitching to herself the entire time which was starting to get to me.

"This is stupid Kurenai! We're wasting so much time!" Anko finally blurted, "They're going to find us eventually and by the time they do, we will be too damn tired from hiding our trail to even defend ourselves!"

"What do you suggest we do then? Charge straight for the tower where the team missing the scroll might be waiting to ambush?" I asked her irritably.

"Of course you're going to take her side! At least I know your opinion on things now that you decided to have a voice! You haven't really done anything this whole trip except for tag along and keep to yourself! You're so useless Bri! That's why you couldn't save Kushina-sensei! Useless!" Anko spazed.

"For your information, the reason I am taking her side is because she is doing an excellent job utilizing the strategy we ALL agreed on. If you ever mention Kushina-sensei in that rotten tone of voice again, I will tear that flapping forked tongue of yours from your loud mouth!" I snapped.

The two of us had stopped in our tracks to continue our heated argument when Anko punched me in the throat. Kurenai had long since vanished somewhere as I grabbed Anko's ridiculous pony tail and hauled her to the ground. We were rolling on the ground exchanging blows when snickering caught our attention.

The Stone team of three teenaged boys all of at least sixteen years of age surrounded our quarrel. I searched around for Kurenai, but she was still missing. Anko and I jumped up and grabbed the kunais stored in our leg pouches. What appeared to be the leader of our enemy laughed and his two team members joined in. His laugh was eerily familiar, one that had occupied my dreams years ago. No way, no way was this teen related to the one I had blinded that day I landed the destructive blow against the Iwa-nin with Minato-sama.

"You look familiar little blonde girl, but I can't place your face right now. You don't look very intimidating though, so I'm not too concerned," the adolescent said.

"Spoken like a true imbecile that didn't witness her desolation on the Hidden Stone from the last war," Anko replied. I could have killed her.

The three young men ceased their laughing and one even began to look nauseous.

"No, it can't be true. My own brother was involved in the battle that a Tsutoni supposedly won for the Leaf. I never imagined that I would come across that person, and to think she would be so small. So small and took him down with a hair pin," he frowned and looked down on me.

Anko looked sheepishly at me, knowing she probably sealed our fate dying in this forest. All of Shisui's hard work at preparing me for hand-to-hand combat were wasted as the three larger ninja towered over us. We kicked madly as they tied our wrists together and managed to take down one. The one who looked ready to vomit specifically. His teammates looked on at him pitifully as Anko and I scrambled to our feet. The two remaining returned their attention back to us as we were scooting farther away from them. At once, their eyes glossed over and droll began to fall from their mouths.

"What the hell?" Anko asked loudly.

"Shhh, you freaking idiot," I whispered urgently and wiggled out of the binding around my arms. That was twice that I had been tangled up in rope, and I'll be damned if I let it happen a third time. Once we were free, Kurenai stepped out of her hiding place and kept her attention on the hypnotized group staring at us.

"Sweet Kami, I'm so sorry Kurenai," Anko finally muttered.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," she sassed.

"Don't worry about it," I told Anko, "watch out. I'm going to move the air from under the earth beneath them to create a sink hole.

They pushed the teens into a sitting position in a circle and stepped aside as I focused in on the little air in the ground with my eyes closed. The air was thin, as thin as I imagined it would be compressed among the dirt, rocks, and insects. I reached out to it, willing it though loosened holes and away from the circle. They slowly began to sink. Eventually, the air refused to budge and the force behind the move exhausted me. When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see that they were thirty feet deep.

Kurenai clapped in joy as we not only escaped our predators, but made sure that they would not be getting to us again. I'm just glad Kurenai had possession of the scroll and didn't let a hot temper prevent her from thinking clearly unlike Anko and myself. Before we left the scene to set up camp, Anko thew in a few of her white snakes to irritate the boys who remained in Kurenai's genjutsu.

We managed to get a mile closer to our goal and a mile away from the enemy when Kurenai collapsed from chakra overuse. Anko set up camp entirely by herself as I watched over Kurenai.

"I'll take the first watch," she said as I carried our exhausted comrade to her tent.

The three of us could barely contain our excitement as we packed our things and started on towards the tower. It should only take three hours at the most to get there. We no longer back tracked so the three hours flew by. The minute we found the place to open the scroll within the tower, we were teleported into the colosseum the Leaf always held the final stage of the Chūnin exams. We landed ungracefully on our asses in front of the entire jōnin squad that were in the village currently, the Hokage, the supervising elders, and even the highest Feudal Lord.

"I'm impressed Shisui, your team was not only the youngest to participate this round, but they beat the other one here," the Hokage stated.

"It's not like they had much competition," Dao remarked.

Everyone zoomed in on her as her face began to flush red. She received well-deserved scowls of disapproval, including one from Shisui.

"How odd of you to say that considering you were one of the team leaders that prepared them for this," my so called uncle pitched in, "perhaps I hear a hint of jealousy?" He finished and looked over at me with his one exposed eye winked in a smile.

I squinted mine at him to let him know that I was not impressed nor interested in his attempts at defending my team. He smelled as rotten as a bad apple. How was I related to someone like that? He didn't exactly give me any reason to despise him yet, but intuition never fails. My mother hated him enough to keep his relation secret, so he had to be horrible.

The thought of my mother stuck with me. The last time I saw her was over two years ago. Perhaps, I should go visit her at the sobriety thing she was in and question her about that. My concern was interrupted by a popping sound. Down fell the three boys we had thought would be the team eliminated. They coughed and wheezed tiredly as they rose and glared at the three of my own team before acknowledging anyone else around them.

"You little imps," the leader snorted, "if I had known that there was a smarty out of the group, we wouldn't have been so easy going. I would have blasted you runts into bite sized pieces instead!"

Anko clenched her fists and leaned in to hit the punk, but I reached out and took hold of her arm to keep the situation from escalating. We were tired and bitter after everything we had been though the past year with losing our sensei to being kidnapped. I wanted to fight as well, but calm coursed through my veins as Hokkaidō took over.

I looked at the older boy and batted my lashes, "how do you know that we didn't set you up with our 'cat fight'?"

He choked and returned his attention to the surrounding authoritative figures.

"Now that I have your full attention, please note that the final part of your exams will take place right here a week from today. All are dismissed," Lord Third announced and we went our separate ways.


	19. Chunin Exams: Part 2

Things will start to warm up in the next few chapters following this Chūnin exam! Hint- they will involve a filler arc of Kakashi's missions as a youth including Kinoe, "Tenzo." ^_^

~As a friendly reminder, I do not own anything related to Naruto, just my OCs

* * *

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

~Bri's POV

The week before the big moment of reckoning was spent practicing my new tricks as well as mastering a few of the old. I could now send wind in mini tatsumakis that were simply bursts of chakra that had the ability to slice anywhere from shallow cuts to life-threatening deep ones; a talent I would share with someone years later.* Shisui, Genma, and Dao were off on a quick mission and should return the day of my anticipated match. While Shisui was away, Kakashi took his place as agreed by the council.

Kaka constantly preserved a bored expression whenever I trained. If he found it exceedingly uneventful, he would start reading some depressing book about the death of being a shinobi or something of that nature. I only skimmed through the summary listed on the back of it before throwing it away. Kami knows the hell in his eyes when he found it buried beneath leftover food and other icky forms of trash after he scared me into confessing my crime. He was terrifying when he wanted to be.

Presently, he was lying on my couch in the den as if he owned it; a place I was secretly wishing for Shisui to occupy instead. The same dull expression he always held glanced my way as I blew a weak wind current to disrupt the pages of his stupid book.

"You do realize that if you need something, you do not have to act out. You only need to ask," he mumbled behind his ever-present mask.

I ignored his smug attitude.

"What do you call a cow with no legs?" I asked, attempting to bring out the light I knew was hidden in that soul of his.

He didn't respond, naturally. He wasn't going to entertain my whimsical side as Shis-kabob would. He did keep his attention on me, so I took it as permission to continue.

"Ground beef, Kaka-senpai!" I smiled despite the same old gloomy look he answered me with. No way was he going to deflate my fun.

"Fine, what about this one? What do you call a sheep with no legs?" I asked as he rose an eyebrow, obviously speculating that the answer would be the same, with both animals being food and all.

"A cloud!" I giggled and winked.

Nope, still no change in response from the scarecrow. How did his mother know to bless him with such a name?

"Kaka-senpai," I began my final attempt at making him at least smirk.

He sat up from his resting position with his entire focus on me. This had to be a positive sign. Now was the moment of truth. I cleared my throat like anyone would before making an important announcement. I noted Kinoe's interest as he leaned on the door frame beside the couch.

"Anko fell off a swing. Anko fell because she has no arms," he waited as I paused, "knock knock?" I asked.

"Who's there?" Kinoe questioned in place of Kakashi.

"Not Anko!" A moment of silence passed before Kinoe and I burst into laughter.

"It's because she doesn't have any arms! Don't you get it Kaka?" I squealed as he remained stone-faced.

He refused to join us in the joys of laughter. In a single spark of movement, he leaped towards us, tossed both of us over his shoulders, carried us to the open arched window and threw us diligently out. And that was how that day went. The killjoy.

The day of my big finale was finally here. I desperately hoped that I would be paired with one of my own teammates. The one Iwagakure genin made me uneasy to say the least. Trouble hung over him like an electric eel weaving in the weeds just waiting to sting the foot of a trespasser. This trouble was what Hokkaidō suggested I caused from the previous war. It made me restless knowing that my spirit buddy was foreseeing a negative outcome.

"_I've always had trouble soothing the dread of death. Even your father's stomach weakened at it,"_ Hokkaidō spoke up.

'I'm sorry; did you just suggest that I may die?'I thought back to him, panic rising.

"_I can only hope that the Senju, Tsunade, will be present at the event,"_ he answered dryly.

We were in the middle of this intense internal discussion on the way to the arena. Kakashi looked oddly at me as if he knew I was talking to myself.

'I think I'll go back home then,'I responded resentfully and turned myself back in the direction of my quaint abode.

I was happy accepting my forfeit in place of a loss for my life, but the god forsaken scarecrow grabbed the knot on the back of my headband and turned me back around towards Anko and Kurenai who were waiting at the gates of the entry way.

"I can't do this today," I whispered to Shisui's replacement and further explained, "Hokkaidō thinks I'm going to die."

Kakashi squinted the exposed eye before answering, "If I recall correctly, my father mentioned a certain little princess having not one, but two weddings in her lifetime. So, I find it very difficult to believe that your time for death has come considering you haven't even reached the age of a bride."

He would remember the night my father talking to his about _that_. I refused to pay any more attention to him and responded by staring up at the cloudless sky.

"Stop worrying. I'll step in if it gets serious. Now hurry up and quit dragging your feet or we'll be late," said the youth that rumor had it was late for everything.

"What's up with them?" Anko asked, pointing to my two guardians as we approached.

"Apparently, I can't look after myself and have been deemed a valuable asset to our society, so the village elders made these two guard me to prevent mercenaries and the like from getting me," I sighed.

"Or from running away," Kakashi added.

"Hahahaha, well at least we will look important when we enter the arena," Kurenai smiled as she patted my back in support.

Yep. I'll look pretty damn important as I lay dying.

"_The son of the White Fang may make you enter, but he can't prevent you from forfeiting the match verbally, no?" _ My sweet wolf reminded.

'Kaka's right, I probably won't die. Maybe I'll only get a little banged up. What was the point of all the training if I act like a coward? I can do this,' I replied.

"_Okay, young one. Remember to not lose focus. Your attention span could be your downfall."_

My team arrived before the stone ninja which helped boost the positive energy slowly coursing through my veins. An eruption of cheers took over the stadium seats once the proctor, Shikaku Nara indicated that we were about to begin. He quieted them before speaking.

"Since Konoha has hosted these exams, we have requested that our guests from the Hidden Stone select who will be matched with who."

A brief shuffling from the crowd drowned the silence from his pause in speech before he announced the first round.

"May I please have Princess Tsutoni Bri of Konohagakure and Ishiwaka Kichirou of Iwagakure step forward."

The Iwa-nin that made me feel ill sneered at me as we stood alone as the other participators left. His name stood out- "_lucky son."_ My quick study of him concluded as I also took note of his stature. He was so tall, a giant to me. His size alone made me feel hopeless. The audience wasn't really helping with my confidence either.

"She's so small!"

"How is that a fair fight?"

"He's going to crush her!"

"The Tsuchikage must have it out for the child!"

These were just a few of the shouts I heard before tuning them out. For once, I relied on Hokkaidō and submission held the key to his control. I felt empowered by his will. I felt the calm cloud the fear. I felt the hope I had thought was lost to me. All I needed to do was let down the walls, let go of my own strong will to let him in.

I searched for Shisui among the spectators, but he was not there. I kept my head held high and waved to the doubting fans. Surprisingly, their worry also lessened at my own lack of doubt.

"The rules are the following; one, do not involve the spectators physically. Two, I will stop the fight if I deem it necessary," Shikaku-san finished and nodded his head for us to begin.

Thus, the taunting from my opponent began.

"Look at you, too arrogant to tremble like the puny leaf you are. Poor, small girl. You aren't even big enough to spit on!"

I frowned, but otherwise remained motionless. Shikaku-san tensed at the teasing though. He must have sensed the negativity and the danger the adolescent posed against me even though I was blocking it out.

"Did you know that I've wanted this chance to have you alone? The chance to rip you apart limb from limb?" He continued, waiting for me to respond.

"No, I would not suspect any _human_ to have such nasty thoughts," I emphasized human, thinking of the snake, and stepped farther away from the psychotic teen towering over me.

"You disgusting imp," he baited once more, "do you even wonder why?"

"This is about your brother," I acknowledged and moved even farther.

"When rumor reached me of Ichirou's death at the hands of a child, I disbelieved it at first."

"It was war," I responded before he elaborated.

I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to know how he suffered in response to what I had done.

"My family, all them, died at the hands of one of this village's superiors. At least your brother died in battle and not as an experiment," I admitted, seeing if he held any empathy.

He squinted and wasted no more time chatting.

"Dancing Pillar Seal," he called out his jutsu and further explained it for the crowd's entertainment.

"This barrier awakens the nightmares within the hearts of those trapped. It's no genjutsu. You see, my chakra reads yours every time one of the pillars hits you, even the slightest graze will give me a taste of your memories, your thoughts."

So, I simply need to stay away from them and make sure that they do not touch me. I carefully studied the pattern of the columns peek-a-boo game they played with me when their castor began to chant a solemn poem.

_"Tsutoni, Tsutoni. The rulers of the wind._

_To them, the air itself would bend._

_So powerful and fierce were the storms they made._

_But, one day they disappeared_

_and into unmarked graves they laid._

_We stone heard rumors that they were no more,_

_that all were dead."_

His poem made me cringe uncomfortably. My attention to the surroundings waned. As a nasty result, he successfully surrounded my confused form with his barrier. A feat I was exactly wanting to avoid. I called to the wind to lift me out and over the walls, but they moved and slapped me back down into my confinement. The massive stones were far from hollow and I felt several of my ribs crack in response to the blow.

My only chance would be to fight within the prison. Kichirou began to chant again. This time, the cylinder-like walls moved along with the words and I felt my chakra pull towards them.

_"The Iwakagure were foolish to believe such a tale._

_Little did they know, that one thousand of them would fail_

_at the hands of a child with eyes aglow of violet violence._

_She walked as a wolf lurking in the night_

_towards the heat of the battle cloaked in insolence._

_A young man laughed that one so small was sent to fight._

_She removed a pin and her golden hair fell just as he full of mockery might_

_as the others ran a-flight as their hearts filled with fright."_

I was barely dodging the blows from the pillars before the second part of the hymn started. Now, I couldn't even focus on the air outside the trap. I was too busy weaving in, out, over, under, and around each strike against me to even try to summon any chakra for a counter attack. Success began to look very bleak and I knew the worst was yet to come.

His loathsome song was not over much to my dismay. The next section of lyrics were darker and more personal. I lost all focus despite Hokkaidō's efforts at rejecting the foreign chakra from entering my own to read my heart, mind, and soul.

_"The tatsumaki she produced was mightier than her kin._

_It was yellow, a color of cowardice and pain._

_Ripping sounds from the bodies impacted left many insane._

_Tear, rip, scratch were the sounds echoing the nearby lands._

_Legend has it that even the Suragakure heard her power_

_and remained hidden in their sands."_

At the end of the third poem, I was frozen in place. I began to tremble like the little leaf he knew I was. I was unable to move as the slicing of flesh vibrated my eardrums. I couldn't verify if the noise was from my own demise, or from the memories the song brought to life. I took a misstep as I tugged on my ears and was savagely whacked on the head in response. The intensity of the impact left a sense of vertigo to ensure that I would not be able to dodge any other strikes against me.

I was struggling to hear the screams escaping the audience over my own torture. My enemies laugh ricocheted from rock tower to rock tower along with the haunting siren my tatsumaki made years ago. My purple chakra sparked wildly as Hokkaidō lost all control of my mental prowess. I could see it escape various pores of my body in strong bursts like a broken electrical wire emitting sparks of scorching static energy.

Once the throttling stopped, I was left with my hands clutching my ears and my knees hugging my chest as they desperately kept my abdomen protected. I buried my face into the dirt as the pillars started their dance again.

For the second time, the beating ceased and much to my embarrassment, the screaming and tearing sounds I believed were from my past were actually shrieks escaping my lips currently. My cheeks stung from where I had scratched them in the process of attempting to ignore the nightmares I created. The broken ribs from before pierced into my left lung and I felt blood ooze from my mouth with each shallow breath I took.

Kichirou did not proceed with another dance, but closed his palms to allude an end. In response to his fists, the blood-stained stones began to fall one by one onto my small, nonthreatening form. I was under the rumble at a lost, but unafraid as Hokkaidō took advantage of the silence to regain his control.

I may be covered in rubble and physically beaten, but this fight was not over. Defeat was beneath me. My blood boiled at the gasps and cries I could hear around me. I was not done. I could hear Kichirou stomp in my direction. He lifted me from the wreckage and laughed the same laugh of his brother.

"Little girl. So young, yet lacking fragility. Just enough to have survived," he whispered uncertainly.

Did he doubt his actions? Was that remorse I heard?

I dismissed the notion of compassion when he held me into the air with his right arm and began to turn so that all would see my shattered, petite frame. At once, his eyes widened in shock as his stance stopped in place.

"Finally," I managed to sigh.

The clone I made while beneath the crumbled rocks stepped around one of the fallen pillars, smiling. She had successfully tied the wind-webbing trap. She pulled me free from Kichirou's grasp and into an awkward standing position. Once I was balanced, she dissipated into the wind from which was formed.

Kichirou's body may be immobile, but his face and vocal chords were certainly free. He began to plead with Shikaku to end the match.

"You don't understand! She's a monster, a...a demon! Look at her eyes, look at how they glow! No, little wench, don't you dare come any closer! Stay away, keep her away!" He raged as I felt Hokkaidō take over my physical form, making me his medium.

I felt the spirit lift my right arm as I lapsed into a semi-conscious state. It was as if I had become the spirit and he was the host. Everything that followed was his doing; I was too weak and perhaps minutes from the grave. The hand he lifted reached for the pin tying up what was left of my bun. My knotted hair freed and Kichirou's pleas transformed into anger as he comprehended the action as a threat of him sharing the same fate as his brother.

"Yes, this is the very pin my vessel used against your brother," Hokkaidō began; my voice was foreign and rough.

"The Yellow Flash collected it after the destruction I caused. Bri is not a monster as you and your village claim so boldly. She did not treasure this weapon as a trophy of her skills, oh no. She held onto it as the opposite. You see, it is a reminder of the disdain she caused, of the emotional and physical pain she made with the air within her lungs. This hair accessory symbolizes murder and that constant notification rests upon her head daily. Murder was not something she handled well, an action that she swore to never do again to the innocent," he finished and tucked the pin into Kichirou's weapons pouch.

"No child needs this burden," Hokkaidō whispered more to himself than anyone.

I felt him revert back to being my conscience and pushed me back in control. The movement took its toll and I struggled to keep from collapsing into the pool of blood I started coughing up.

"Is this what I was used for?" Kichirou asked uncertainly, "Every story fed to me, all the fueled hate in response to her? A pixie of a child. I was commissioned to annihilate the last Tsutoni. What kind of dishonor was I—" was the last he was able to sputter before the Tsuchikage interrupted.

"He's confused, drained from the fight. His chakra mingling with her's has befuddled his mind. Do not pay him any attention," the dwarf of a leader spoke up over the fearsome cries from the crowd as they interpreted Kichirou's absent stutters as confession to an assassination attempt.

"You, you can fly," I stated in awe and envy.

Lord Tsuchikage spared me a pitiful look, as if I were really dying.

The last I remembered was the deception haunting the stone shinobi's eyes as he remained paralyzed in my unbreakable web. The scent of a lily rising in the midst of a flood tickled my nose and I drifted into sleep. I dreamed of the fragrant "rain" carrying me away.

* * *

~Kaka POV

Uchiha Shisui was literally a ticking time bomb when it came to the little Tsutoni's safety. I'll admit, it did pain me to see her getting whipped around as badly as she was, but this type of thing was going to happen eventually if she continues to live a kunoichi lifestyle. It would be nice if he would stop that glare of his. It's not like staring evilly at me is going to kill me; at least not with all of these spectators around.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" I finally voiced in response to his vulgar mumbling.

"Tch, like you would even care to listen. I don't see how the Hokage found you suitable as my replacement in my absence. I'm late from one small mission, and Bri's getting the shit beat out of her. Seriously, did you help her prepare for this fight at all?"

"Of course not. That's not part of my job, remember? I'm just here to make sure she doesn't do anything reckless that would cause conflict to the village. Oh, and you should talk to her about making less jokes and working more on her defensive strategies," I replied in irritation.

He was not about to place this disaster of a fight on me.

"You're the nastiest hole of an ass I've ever met," he grumbled and ignored me from that point on.

Suddenly, shrill cries of terror sent chills down my spine. I forced myself to look back at the battle. Purple chakra was jolting sporadically from underneath the massive stone pillars where Bri managed to get caught under. A giant gust of wind began to engulf the arena. At once, the wind darkened into a yellow hue, eerily similar to the tatsumaki jutsu. It vanished as quickly as it had appeared the moment the Ishiwaka young man lifted the columns and exposed her tender form.

She was rocking in a fetal position. Bruising already began to cloak the swelling of her exposed skin from her ankles up to her neck. I could also see traces of blood trickle from self-inflicted wounds on her face and arms. Was she truly in such mental turmoil of fear from the enemy? No, it was with the actions she took with Minato-sensei that was weakening her mentally.

I had no idea it had impacted her so greatly that Hokkaidō couldn't calm her. Truth be told, rumor had it that the spirit savior never had much control of her to begin with. Maybe Shisui's concern was legitimate. Perhaps I should have checked into her psyche before letting her into the fight.

Thankfully, Shisui's anger was no longer on me so I could relax and debate on if I should intervene like I promised her. I was about to stand and follow through with the notion when another Bri climbed from the debris. I felt the Uchiha beside me tense even more as Bri slowly regained control of the match. It may have been worry in response to the over exertion she was making to win.

The moment the Tsutoni witnessed the Tsuchikage fly was when she fell. Before she could hit the ground, Shisui had her safely in his arms and was off to the infirmary. I brushed the sudden pang of jealousy I felt towards the action away. It was just the atmosphere that had me worried, right? The strange sense of needing to be Bri's protector vanished along with the girl as she was taken out of the arena. Yes, it was only the gloomy atmosphere.

* * *

*A/N- I have plans on Bri being an ambassador for the Leaf nation so that she can impact each nation later on and will explain how she's able to go in and out of each one without suspicion much later in the future of this story. One of the people she will influence the most is who this shout out was for. I bet you may have already guessed who it is! This will all come after the missions I mentioned before this chapter ^_^


	20. Transitioning: A Broken Bond

To Guest1995, heck yes I have every intention of solidifying a romantic relationship between Shisui and Bri! I must wait until she is older before I pursue too much intimacy though. I really appreciate everyone hanging in there with me because those will be my favorite scenes to write ;). For all that have made it this far, THANK YOU! I sincerely appreciate any feedback! This chapter is lengthy, but I haven't updated in so long, I owe it :D

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Naruto related.

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The Life of Bri Tsutoni

"How much longer until she'll be ready to leave?" I could hear Shisui ask nervously.

He never sounded anxious with anyone, so this would indicate that my mother was seeing to my care.

"Probably later today after you leave me to my business," Tsunade stated irritably.

"Since when did you decide to be part of her life again?" He replied dryly, any tone of nervousness gone.

"Don't you get all high and mighty on me too! I've already heard this speech from both the Hokage and Fugaku-san. This is only for today. Now, if you do not mind, please provide me with some privacy. I have a few things I'd like to discuss with her when she becomes responsive."

"I'll be outside," Shisui said without fear or respect towards Lady Tsunade.

I felt a slight tingling tickle my recently mended ribs as she checked over them once more to make sure that all fractures had been attended to. Next, an icy sensation pumped my lungs refreshingly. I would be able to breathe just fine thanks to her thorough care.

"I know you're awake, little one," she whispered.

"Are you really here? Did you actually take time from your sake bottle to show up?" I questioned, surprised at my own boldness.

"Listen to you!" She began cheerfully, "I wouldn't have dared miss the last leg of your Chūnin exams. I see that you have grown up considerably mentally—not that your small stature can agree. It appears that the Uchiha have taken great care of you. I'm truly thankful, not that I've shown it."

I stared quietly.

"Do you have any questions for me before I go?"

I looked hesitantly over her right shoulder, seeing Shisui's silhouette leaned in to eavesdrop. At least I would not have to repeat everything to him again.

"I suppose I'll start with an easy question. How do you fight with your chest being so large?"

She raised an eyebrow. I noticed a change in Shisui's position. He was significantly closer to the door.

"Wh… what I mean is that mine seem to grow daily. They're intimidating me to the point where… they might start getting in the way," I tried to explain in embarrassment.

She didn't blush as I did, but she did giggle. It was a sound that I wasn't prepared to hear. My heart skipped a beat knowing it would be a long time before I would witness her being cheerful again.

"You'll have to wrap them up with cloth, bandages, or whatever you have available to work as a bra once you outgrow those, which you will. Here, sit up and I'll show you how to do it."

I could feel my ears burn as she carefully lowered my robe and showed me the easiest way to bind up my ever growing problem.

"Don't be ashamed! You're not the only one who has needed help with this. I'm actually happy that you're maturing. I was worried that the failed transfer of Hokkaidō before the Lord Fourth corrected it would severely stunt your growth. After examining your hormone levels as I treated you earlier, I knew that you would be fine. You're only going to be shorter than most your age.

"By shorter than most, how small are we talking?" I asked worriedly.

"You're basically at your tallest now."

"What? I'm not even five feet yet!" Dear kami I was literally only 4' 10" at my current age.

"Next question," she interrupted before I could continue with my dramatic discovery of being short the rest of my life.

"Fine. Did I win the match?" I sighed with defeat and moved on to my next concern.

"Yes, the poor guy is still tied up. They cannot break whatever seal you placed on him."

"Yay! I better be admitted to Chūnin."

"Of course you passed, but I'm curious. Why are you so concerned with progressing along? I thought you would want to stop. I understand that the elders would prefer to keep and use you for military value, but you do not _have_ to."

"I have my own agenda, but it really depends on you."

"What do you mean?" She frowned.

"It's about my great uncle Danzō, I—"

"Huh? 'Great uncle'? Who told you such a nasty lie?" She interrupted.

"That lie is what I needed to ask you about. Your reaction confirms that the only reason he would make that up would be to get closer to me. This alone is why I must advance. Now, I can infiltrate his troops and find out why he would go through so much trouble."

"Have you lost your mind? Is that Hokkaidō of yours providing you with any wisdom or advice whatsoever?" She shrieked every bit as loudly as I imagined she would.

I barely even noticed Kaka-senpai and Kinoe showing up outside the room to join Shisui.

"I need to know if he's working with Orochimaru. I can use their alliance to find the snaky bastard," I explained the obvious.

"And then what? Kill him? A Sannin? You have absolutely no self-appreciation," she spat harshly.

This was how our relationship was always meant to be; combative and loud with never a glimpse of peace.

"It's better than watching him pick off another family one by one! It's better than what you or even the Hokage has done with the issue!"

"So you would just throw your life away so easily, all for the sake of killing that one creature?"

"Hell yes, I would! This village had no issues with tossing my life aside for war, so why not do it on my own terms?! I get that you have lost a lot. I know all about _Dan_ before _Papa_. I know all about your brother, but I didn't even get to meet a single one of mine. This isn't about something as petty as vengeance or personal gain. This is about preventing other clans from suffering the same fate. The sad part is that you already know this," I stated with my roar softening to a high whisper.

She raised a hand to prepare a slap that I was all too familiar with, but this time I caught it. She gasped as I squeezed her wrist and shoved it away from me. Her mouth was agape as I stood from the bed with my fists resting beside each hip. No more would I allow her to bully me. No more would I let her take her depression out on the face that was a spitting image of her lost husband.

I breathed heavily from the movement and desperately wanted to lie down again, but refused to be weak. My robe had fallen off, so I was left standing bravely in only the white bandages hiding my chest and the purple undergarment I decided to wear that day. My thigh muscles began to tremble the longer I stood. Lady Tsunade grimaced at my debilitated state.

"What would your father say to you right now?" She asked roughly to herself.

We both knew that my father would have supported any decision I made as long as it helped others.

"Get out!" I shrieked, Hokkaidō not holding back any anger.

"Wh-what?" She managed to sputter before I ran at her despite my muscle spasms.

She reacted awkwardly, not ready to defend against her last child, heir, and only daughter. In her confusion, she stumbled over her feet while she headed towards the door. I was able to reach her before she made it out and landed a pitiful blow to her left arm. I collapsed from the physical confrontation despite its quality of attack. Tsunade carried me back to my bed instead of abandoning me there as I thought she may. She sighed before turning away.

"It's my fault that our relationship has come to this. I accept that you'll never respect or love me the way all mothers wish. I simply do not deserve it. I'm so sorry, little Bri."

I sat up, any hatred or spite I felt towards the woman who would dare compare herself to a mother increased as I thought of Kushina-sensei's face the night she had Naruto.

"It's Princess Tsutoni to you!" I sassed. This woman never acted as my mother, so why continue to act like she was?

She returned a reddening face and opened her mouth to respond. Before she was given the opportunity to do so, I scrambled out of the bed again and charged at her for the second time in only a few minutes. She was apparently still in a state of shock because instead of stopping me, she also ran in the direction I was headed to. I found myself chasing the deadbeat of a mom down the hospital wing I was assigned to. I passed Kinoe, Kaka, and Shis-kabob without as much as a second glance. The faster I pushed myself, the farther Tsunade was. Eventually, I just couldn't run anymore and found myself facedown onto the cold tile. This was the last I would hear from her in the next few years that would follow.

It was at that unfortunate moment that I remembered my light attire. The air cooled around my chest and much to my dismay, the bandaged support was not where it had been before my chase. Naturally, my wonderfully protective guards discovered my location before I could pull the wrapping back in place. They each surrounded me to block any wondering eyes.

Kinoe was the first to break the overbearingly awkward silence.

"I thought you were twelve?" he asked softly.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion before I bluntly replied, "I am."

The usually solemn boy mirrored my confused face before pointing to the place my makeshift bra was. Kakashi slammed a fist into the back of Kinoe's head before stuttering an apology for the fool. Shisui kept his wide-eyed gaze fixed in the directly Kinoe pointed to seconds ago before being thwacked by Kakashi too. I guess I had some explaining to do.

"Did you see that she-devil I was chasing?" I asked the younger boy. He nodded.

"She birthed me. My tah-tahs will be like her tah-tahs. It's as simple as that," I elaborated before holding my hands out towards Shisui.

He carefully pulled me to my feet and, even more cautiously, poked my developing boobs. Kakashi and Kinoe were frozen in place as I slowly moved his index fingers away.

"You've been hiding these this whole time?" He asked, as flabbergasted as I felt.

The atmosphere around us dropped a few degrees largely due to my icy glare. Before I could respond, the Hokage made his arrival. He made no indication that I was nearly nude or out of my hospital bed, which was oddly relieving.

"Little Tsutoni," he began. I was really starting to hate my pint-sized figure, "when you can, please release the jutsu on the Iwagakure fellow. My elite cannot figure it out."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

"Good. Also, I would like for you to enlist as one of my own ANBU. You have not had as much experience as most, but as your mother has already informed me of your intentions, I can't really refuse them."

That woman already spoke with him? I smiled and started to thank him, but he held up a palm to stop me.

"However, shall you fail to catch Orochimaru within the next few years I have other needs for you."

"Oh…" I hesitated.

"Needs" sound too pervy, maybe I was feeling that way thanks to Kinoe's and Shis-kabob's close inspection of me moments before. Now that I think about it, the Hokage's choice of words such as "intentions" and "experience" was dirty sounding too…

"You see, I would like to strengthen our alliances. To do so, I have decided to elect an ambassador to represent the Leaf. Much consideration has been placed on this notion, and I concluded that you would be prefect for such a responsibility."

I frowned in thought. This wouldn't be so bad at all. I could use the position to gather leads on the snake even _if_ I failed to get him in the time allotted to me.

"Sounds fun," I smiled, closing any gap between the three guys around me. I couldn't handle being exposed much longer.

"I'm glad that satisfies you, I must take my leave now," and off he went.

Satisfies? There it was again. My skin crawled from the hint of perversion.

"Was it just me, or was the old man using sexual terms throughout that conversation?" Shisui asked with a smirk, like he could read my mind.

"Shut up and help me back to the room so I can be decent again."

The monitor of the exams relocated the sealed shinobi within the hospital. I was able to resolve the dilemma without much hassle since he was fortunately unconscious. Kakashi and Kinoe went their own ways shortly after that while Shisui helped me gather any personal items from my room and accompanied me back home.

"Now that you're a Chūnin, you won't need me or the others anymore," he reminded me after we made it back to my home.

I had finished cleaning my weapons and was in the process of starting a bath.

"Don't be silly! I'll always need you, but the others I can live without," I teased while placing sakura petals into the bubbling water.

He smiled and continued to stand there.

"Do you mind?" I smarted and pointed to the door.

"Oh…yeah…" he trailed in disappointment.

So, this is what it was like for Tsunade. I think I'm going to enjoy this. Hokkaidō growled, but otherwise kept to himself.

The morning came quickly and any soreness I had disappeared with the night. I felt calm; a sincere peace filled my spirit. Today was going to be a good day, at least, that it what I believed at that time.

It took nearly fifteen tries to get the spare wrappings Shisui let me borrow to stay securely in place. I opted to practice wearing them because they were more comfortable than the suffocating contraptions that bras were, honestly. Nearly an hour was spent on the fiasco, and I couldn't waste any more time. So, I let my hair flow to my sides instead of tying it up in my standard fashion. I knew that I would be provided with my own ANBU uniform and opted to wear a basic pair of grey leggings before heading outside.

Shisui had gotten bored waiting for me. He had completely scorched the front yard by making "fire babies" as he called them. To be honest, they were pretty cute but I wasn't going to admit it. The Tsutoni home was far enough away from the village that it wasn't like anyone would see the damage. I rolled my eyes despite my sincere lack of care and made my way to Danzō's. I was going to let him stew in his mess. I laughed evilly inwardly.

"Do you think I'll be placed on your team?" I asked during our journey.

"I don't see why not," he answered absentmindedly. I also thought I heard him mutter "Hatake".

Was he worried that I'd be placed elsewhere? It was unlikely, right?

"What about Anko and Kurenai?

"Dao and Genma said they passed more easily than you."

I shrugged before he backtracked.

"What I mean is that their matches weren't with people that wanted them dead."

I shrugged again as he dug himself deeper into a hole of Bri-Bri displeasure. Who cares if they passed with flying colors as I fought to live? I didn't die, and that was the important thing. Or, that is what I wanted to believe. Hokkaidō would be the only one who would know the pang of jealousy I hid.

"Bri-chan, you know that I didn't mean it the way it sounded," he continued to sputter, "are you mad about the mess I made, or of how I behaved yesterday?"

I fought laughter after his last statement. How could I be upset with anyone, especially a guy noticing me growing up? I shrugged in response for the third time in a row. I could tell he was starting to get annoyed, but was hesitant to say so.

"Bri-Bri," he called to me seriously and stopped walking.

"Shis-kabob," I replied just as seriously even though I used his silly nickname.

It was then that he realized that I was intentionally ignoring him. He flickered behind me before I could react and tossed me high into the air. He flickered again to meet me in mid-fall before pushing me higher into the vivid blue sky. He kept his game up so that we were among the clouds. They weren't like cotton as I imagined, but were misty and cool to the touch. I laughed harder than I had in so long and stopped once I caught Shisui's red-eyed stare. His Sharingan fully blazed on my appearance.

He was memorizing my behavior so that every move, laugh, smile, or jolt of glee I made was documented in his mind to keep. It was at this moment that I realized how much he cared for me, and how much I had fallen for him.

He had always known how desperately I wanted to fly, and here he was giving me that opportunity. I felt like a bird, free and untamed. I laughed louder as I waved my arms dramatically. I felt the breeze chill my face as Shisui mimicked my enthusiasm. We fell quickly, but the few airborne minutes felt like a lifetime.

I manipulated the wind caused by our decent to catch our fall. He smiled before placing an arm around my shoulders the rest of the way. For once, I felt safe. We finally arrived to the ANBU facility where we were met by Danzō.

"It's nearly noon. I was starting to think you had changed your mind," he greeted us, "Uchiha Shisui please go about your day. I'll take her from here."

Shisui did not appear pleased, but he obeyed. Danzō motioned for me to follow. He led me to a simple room where one of the ROOT provided me with a uniform along with a mask similar to a bird's beak. He dismissed the masked nin before speaking again.

"The uniform should fit well enough," I nodded, "Hiruzen has forbid me to interfere with your affairs. However, I find it best to prepare you nonetheless. Orochimaru is not one to be hunted. You must exercise with caution should you choose to do so despite my warning."

It sounded as if his warning implied something more than the Sannin being dangerous. Was he hinting at his own hand playing a part if I continued?

"I'm not alone," I replied, dismissing his false concern.

"A spirit full of ancient wisdom is still only a ghost," he countered referring to Hokkaidō before leading me to a building that other ANBU outside of ROOT trained.

Most were on lunch breaks, but a few sparred after seeing my arrival. Shisui was here as well and waved. Danzō laughed roughly and looked at me.

"You have no idea how they wish to impress you."

"Me?" I asked, confused.

"You are a Tsutoni after all. You are the one that gave Konohagakure a great victory and advantage during the war."

"Oh."

"Your father never gloated in his triumphs either," he mentioned at my lack of gusto.

"Why would he want any more attention when he had Tsunade's big tits…I mean _ego_ with him?"

Danzō chuckled, but did not voice an opinion. Did he know of my suspicion against him?

"Hiruzen has also requested that you train here for at least a year before he provides you with any leads."

"An entire year? That's too long!" I complained.

"Perhaps, but it was only a request. If I see progress in self-control of that tongue of yours and a continuous growth in your talents, then you will not have to wait so long."

Did he just suggest that I was immature? I was about to rant about how I was not when Hokkaidō butted in and hushed those thoughts by providing me examples of how I acted irrationally in the past.

"Okay," I mumbled, biting my bottom lip to prevent me from saying anything else.

The eerie elder smiled, "I already hear a change of tone. Hotheadedness is not easily stifled."

And it most certainly won't be, I thought menacingly. All I needed to do was play the role of an obedient, respectful individual and I'll be off destroying hideouts in search of the albino-skinned snake.

"Hatake, you will be in charge of Princess Tsutoni's training. I trust that you will have her ready before the year passes or she may snap your neck from impatience," Danzō stated with a hint of humor before sneaking a quick, almost secretive glance at Shisui.

The scarecrow of a teen looked taken aback. He must have assumed Shisui-kun would stay as my senpai too. I didn't dare look in the Uchiha's direction. I wouldn't have look at him to know his face mirrored disgust.

Was Danzō playing at his emotions on purpose? He, as all leaders, knew of my engagement and bond to the Uchiha clan. This arrangement could cause concern with Fugaku-san, if not his entire family. Shisui did not say anything, so neither did I.

"All of those present on the field, please stand aside except for you two," he instructed, pointing at me and Kakashi, "I need to see if this pairing will do in terms of teamwork."

"Wind is good with fire. Shisui-kun and I have been a team since I graduated. Is he not the obvious choice for me to be working with?"

There it was. That damned sass I meant to keep to myself.

Danzō stared blankly. We both knew I was supposed to behave. I tugged at my hair anxiously.

"Yes, now as I was saying, I need to verify if Hatake will suffice," he finished.

I refrained from eye rolling, "how do you propose to test that?" I asked reluctantly.

"Uchiha Shisui, stand before Prince Tsutoni. Then, I ask that you use your fire release on her. Let's see how quickly Hatake can respond in her defense," Danzō began.

Shisui did not blink and was standing in front of Kakashi releasing perhaps half of what he normally would at an enemy against him within a mere second, or had a second even passed? I knew he deliberately disobeyed, but I didn't think too long on his decision as I needed to get Kakashi out of the way.

I am still unsure about how I reached Kakashi in time to push him from the line of attack and still manage to inhale the fire release. The room was silent as I danced around with my cheeks and stomach swollen with the hot jutsu. I was in such a hurry to stop it, that I couldn't remember how to get it out.

"Kami, Bri-chan! What the hell are you doing? Use your own jutsu to spit it out, damn it be still and focus!" Shisui was yelling while I continued running around uncertainly.

Hokkaidō let out a yelp as I felt my lungs collapsing. Luckily, Kakashi snatched me from my crazed run and slapped my back, forcing the fire out. It turns out, I had successfully infused the flames with my own chakra, but panicked and had only held it in. Once it was out, I was fine!

"Not what I expected, but you did help her regardless," Danzō remarked on the incident, rubbing his forehead.

"I now need to see if your natures are compatible as well. Since Uchiha is hesitant to harm the Princess, Hatake strike her with an electric current. Let's see if she can be a conductor of all that lightening of yours."

He really anticipated that I would stand here all nonchalantly to be electrocuted? No thank you. Kakashi looked wearily at his palms.

"Any minute please," Danzō encouraged once more.

Kakashi's hesitation wasn't a surprise. He was being told to inflict damage to me with not only Shisui present, but among several of the Hokage's ANBU; all of which heard rumors of the incident involving Rin-san. The fear from what happened to her was also on his well-hidden face. Instead of forcing him to suffer the act of hurting me, I stepped up to him, the top of my head not reaching his chin. I held out an index finger to his raised left hand and smiled reassuringly.

"It doesn't have to be much, only a little shock Kaka-senpai," I urged with a wink, hoping Shisui wouldn't find it flirtatious.

His worry subsided as he squinted daringly at Shisui and took my hand fully into his own. I felt heat drift down my arm and throughout my nervous system. Smoke blew from my ears, causing me to hiccup. Unfortunately, the hiccup forced a _delicate_ burp— a burp that happened to explode an electrical current strong enough to throw anyone nearby (including Kakashi, Shisui, and Danzō) onto their backs. I felt the surge continue to pop and scold my body. The shock reached my feet, tripping me. I rolled several times before Danzō stopped me with his cane.

"Very interesting," he was mumbled, "I assumed that since you could create tatsumakis that lightening could be very effective in enhancing your power. It didn't kill you, so you do have the ability to control it even though you do not possess that nature directly. Very interesting. Take her to have any wounds attended to."

Kakashi nodded and lifted me into his arms.

"I can walk," I muttered. He ignored my statement.

Apparently, a feud I was unaware of had been established between him and Shisui. No sooner had I requested to be put down, Shis-kabob was at my side. He held out his arms, obviously meant for me to be relocated in. Instead of abiding by Shisui's silent demand, Kakashi placed me on my feet.

I couldn't fathom why he couldn't have done that to begin with, other than to aggravate the Uchiha. I squirmed uncomfortably as I discovered the hot pulse of pain shooting from my feet with each step I took. Hokkaidō could have at least lessened the burn, but he must have had his own scheming going because the pain was real and persistent. They each raised concern at my discomfort.

"Ugh, fine," I hissed, and climbed onto Shisui's back, "I don't want to be carried like a baby."

Kakashi remained behind as Shisui took me away.

"You know he's only acting like that to get to you?" I whispered, sensing Shisui's irritation.

"Yeah, I know," he answered as a medical nin soothed my burns.

"Why are you letting it bother you then?"

"I noticed that he has a stone that matched mine when I sent my attack on him instead of you."

"I gave it to Obito. He forgot to get a gift for Kakashi after he was promoted. I didn't know who else to give it to since Anko and Kurenai would be jealous if I gave it to one and not the other."

"His glows when you're in danger too," he seemed to continue to argue.

"Of course it does! He feels responsible after my first mission with Minato-sensei, in case you have forgotten. You better not be getting mad about that."

"No, haven't forgotten and I'm not getting mad. I don't expect you to get upset if Dao steps out of line either," he laughed.

He had been acting this way to mock my previous attitude earlier today.

"Laugh all you want, you are oblivious to her intentions."

"How can I pay any attention to that psycho, when I have you to worry with?"

"Can you both please shut up? You're going to make me sick," Genma voiced as he entered the room.

I blushed as he made gagging noises. Hokage-sama has requested to speak with you," he said to Shisui before taking him away. With that, they were gone.

To my displeasure, I would spend the next four months away from him. The only correspondence we would share would be between other shinobi in passing that would happen to need something from Danzō. I even spoke with Dao one day, but realized afterwards that she would only change whatever I said into rubbish the next time she was with Shisui. All my time was with Kakashi of all people. He never seemed to want to have fun, and was incredibly silent. It was torture.

He was also the only one I celebrated my thirteenth birthday with due to the intense training and closure I was forced in. It was the first one without Shis-kabob since I was little, and Kami did it suck a butt. I didn't wake up to a room full of fragrant flowers as I had in the past, but to a pillow that Kakashi threw at me to stop me from snoring. My present was a day off, and that was it. He didn't even offer to take me outside the kami-forsaken prison I had spent what felt like an eternity in. He said it was because of "Danzō's orders" or some kind of bull shit like that.

My mood was deteriorating into something foul, and Kakashi received the worst of it. I didn't lash out, or say anything against him, because I didn't say much at all and my demeanor was significantly less cheerful. In a way, I was becoming exactly what Danzō wanted.

"I admit my surprise. You may be more like your father than I originally believed," Danzō stated the next day.

I nodded, sourly groaning internally.

"You and Hatake have a meeting with Lord Hokage. Neither of you will return to me once you leave."

"Hai, Danzo-sama," we answered and left.

The second we were free and the cool morning air hit my face, I ran, jumped, and exhaled enough wind to carry my above Kakashi's head.

"WOOOO HOOOO!" I squealed, unable to contain my excitement, "NO MORE 'SAMA', NO MORE 'SIR', NO MORE KEEPING MY ATTITUDE AT BAY! CELEBRATE WITH ME KAKA-SENPAI! FREEDOM! FREEDOM!" My chants loudened with each breath of refreshing air I devoured.

He shook his head at my obnoxious cheers, but raised a fist and softly said "Yay," with a hint of sarcasm. Surely he didn't think I had really tamed my temper within those few months of solitude and discipline? All I needed was an open sky and zero creepy ROOT members watching my every move to bring me back to life.

I landed a jump in front of Kakashi and batted my eyes as sweetly as possible.

"Do we have to meet the Hokage now? I have…somethings to check on."

"I don't see why we need to rush, so go ah—" he started and I was off to the Uchiha's.

"Oba-san," I exclaimed and entered Shisui's home without knocking.

She greeted me with equal excitement before pulling Saucy from my legs. She directed me upstairs where I found a brooding fifteen year old Shisui sitting on the floor reading comics to Ita-Ita.

"Bri-Bri?" Itachi's eyes rounded when he recognized the intruder, "Shisui-kun has been very quiet lately. Please tell me you are back for good now?"

"Aww, I'm sorry for his poor attitude! I'm also sorry to say that I'm not here permanently. I'm only visiting."

"Oh," he replied full of melancholy before leaving.

I tackled Shisui the second we were alone.

"Bri-chan," he smiled before rolling me onto my back, pinning me, "I see that you are well."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Danzo's strict regimen breaks many."

"Oh my freaking Kami, he is so mean! He let me go much earlier than expected thanks to my glorious acting skills," I laughed.

"I'm guessing today will be your first mission in search of the runaway Orochimaru, huh?"

"Yep, that's right," I smiled and flexed my muscles.

"I know you don't want to hear this, but can you at least try to be careful? I know you're reckless and think you are invincible and all, but seriously. Stay safe."

I sighed, "Yes, Shisui-senpai" and watched him roll his eyes.

"Shisui-kun!" A horrible voice interrupted.

The Bitch's face followed the trail of the shout as she marched into his room. Her face convulsed when her eyes locked on mine and at the position Shisui and I had remained in.

"Who let _you_ in here," she asked me with full audacity.

"I did," Oba-san growled from behind the scathing wanch of an Uchiha, "but I do not recall letting you storm into his room, much less my home Dao-san. GET OUT!"

I smiled wickedly as The Bitch was forced out of Shisui's room and outside. Mikoto was going to be the ultimate mother-in-law. Shisui looked relieved at his aunt's disapproval of his teammate. Mikoto looked quizzically at us as we pulled ourselves apart and sat up to hide our previous position.

"When is she going to learn to quit bugging you when Bri-chan swings by? I swear she lurks nearby each day just waiting for little Bri to show up," she shivered and closed the door behind her.

Shisui raised an eyebrow. Was he also wondering if his aunt's actions were hinting at us to continue where we had left off?

"Is Dao that bad?" I asked, moving farther from him. I was afraid his aunt was setting us up.

"No, she's worse," he replied, closing the space between us, "I have a gift for you. I know it's late, but it's better than nothing."

He handed me a standard Uchiha shirt all of his clan wore.

I grinned before pulling it over my ANBU uniform. The high neck was just tall enough. I noted the back had my own clan's symbol, a bold sun hidden within the Uchiha's fan crest. It was a literal display of our unity. I hugged him tightly before thanking him repeatedly.

My heart raced as I noticed the near proximity of his face. At once I felt his soft, eager lips against mine. I wanted to continue, but my fear of getting caught won. Lucky for me that I obeyed my instinct, because his aunt burst in seconds after I pushed him away.

"Shisui-kun, there's another guest down stairs. Perhaps a love rival?" She inquired curiously at me.

"He couldn't wait five more minutes," I murmured and chased after Shisui.

He met Kakashi at the door before I could stop him.

"What's the rush?" Shisui inquired as I struggled to move him out of the way.

"Not a thing really," Kakashi replied casually.

"Then why the fuck are you here?" my fierce Uchiha responded.

"I only wanted to let you know that I will trade my life for Princess Tsutoni's if it comes down to it since I cannot promise that no harm will come to her," my current senpai explained.

"As any decent shinobi would," Shisui scowled, clearly unimpressed.

"Thank you for your concern," I stated irritably, finally getting around Shis-kabob, "bye Shisui-kun," I smiled and snatched Kakashi away, whispering dangerous threats as we retreated.

"Will you please stop initiating arguments with him? I mean, was it that troublesome to let me be?"

"He needed to know that you would survive the upcoming trials you face."

"You don't think he already knows that I'll be fine?"

"Oh, yes I do. It's just entertaining to watch your frustration."

"I don't think he's an enemy you want to make."

"He knows it's all goodwill."

"Does he though? I get that this is fun for you, but he's serious when it comes to me. It's not cool for you to mess around and tease him. How would you feel if someone you cared deeply for was always with someone you didn't like?"

"You're starting to be as doleful as an Uchiha."

"Very funny," I finalized the conversation and knocked on the Hokage's office door.

"I'm impressed to see you so soon, little Tsutoni," he began.

Was I this consistently late? Was that really a thing with me?

"I'll get right to the details I suppose. There is rumor of a hideout southeast of here. It's speculated that there are test subjects surviving there, so all caution must be taken. I also have suspicion that ROOT will be searching for this place as well. Here is more information," he stated and handed Kakashi a scroll before we were dismissed.

The first few hours of our trek was spent in silence. My stomach growled fiercely, sabotaging my attempts of stoicism.

"Why don't we take a break?" Kakashi suggested with a hint of joke in his tone.

"Fine," I mumbled angrily at my stomach.

He pulled out the scroll as we ate a small portion of the rations we packed.

"Interesting," he said between bites.

"Well… are you going to elaborate?" I urged, finishing my meal quickly.

"Here," he said and tossed me the intel.

I was surprised to see that it was written in Shisui's hand. His penmanship was easy for me to recognize. I knew he was used on many reconnaissance assignments, but it was odd to be used on a follow up mission he originally led. Who knew how old his information was about this though.

I skimmed through most of what was listed, and stopped at the mention of lilac-hued chakra. Chakra color, according to those that can actually see it, is usually blue and is the same for most shinobi. Few, usually specific clans, possessed certain coloring unique to them. Purple was always associated with Tsutoni.

This discovery could mean multiple things. One, A Tsutoni was present at the time the intelligence was documented. Two, another person just happened to possess the same shade which was only coincidental. Three, if it was or wasn't coincidence, the person or people could still be there. My biggest fear was that it was associated with test subjects directly and not simply chemical experimentation that could emit chakra. After all, testing on physical beings was what became of my siblings.

I dismissed the souring thoughts and handed the scroll back to Kakashi. We cleaned up and spent the remaining walk secluded in the woods, avoiding any open trails for fear of being intercepted by ROOT. He led the way towards a cave opening. My heart sank at the memory of the last one I entered. My eyes widened the closer we neared it. The cave smelled of home, of my father. Kakashi noticed my discomfort. Déjà vu was dominating my senses.

"Stay here. I'll come back if it's safe," he instructed and walked into the darkness.

Several minutes passed and I called out, softly but audible. I allowed ten more agonizing minutes to tick at me before I made myself walk into the bitterness. The Tsutoni scent was thickening the deeper I traveled. It nearly forced me to turn around, but I would not cower. My desire to fight the fear enabled Hokkaidō to hide it, which was a wonder in itself.

I found myself in the heart of the hideout, transfixed at what was happening around me.

* * *

~~~ I hope it was good and that the cliff hanger isn't too much! For those that may have skipped any filler arcs in the anime, you can spoil yourself for what is to come by watching episodes 353-354 if waiting is painful ^_^


	21. Questions

I have edited all previous chapters to clear away the many typos. I also rephrased certain sentences and added a few things to clean up the story flow! :D If you haven't read this story since May, I recommend reading over it now that it should be up to par ;). Thank you all for checking this fanfic out and I certainly hope to keep you all pleased in the events to come. ^_^

* * *

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

I was glued in place near the many angry faces surrounding my fallen captain. My hands instinctively covered my mouth as I remained frozen. _They_ should not _be._ I watched in angst as a cloud of smoke entered Kakashi's nostrils.

"No," I whispered as the teen struggled against the fiery pain of suffocation.

The gaseous state of a man evacuated Kakashi in response to my soft spoken word. I didn't dare breathe too sharply or move too quickly. I knew all too well that any sudden move to ripple the air could break these people.

The surrounding underground clan simultaneously focused their attention on me, the new visitor. Many solemn-filled pairs of eyes locked onto my gleaming violet ones. Realization of who I was dawned on their cold faces. At once, they jumped farther from me in tense fear. The only two that remained in close proximity was who appeared to be their leader (the one that had tortured Kakashi) and a girl close to Kinoe's age.

Speaking of Kinoe, he happened to be here as well. Why?

"She's here! Tenzō, I knew you would do it! I knew you would bring hope to we Iburi!" The blue-eyed, wispy-haired brunette exclaimed excitedly in Kinoe's direction as he bombarded us.

He sealed Kakashi with his Wood Style before doing the same to me. I allowed him to wrap the bark roughly around me. A mixture of anger, confusion, and pity panged my mind. I didn't feel like defending at the moment and most certainly didn't want to hurt anyone by doing so.

"I don't understand," I said befuddled by Kinoe's assault among the existence of the secret clan I was taught had been long lost.

Their leader, Gotta as he announced himself to be, stared oddly.

"You recognize us?" He asked with slight surprise.

"Of course I do. What I don't understand is _how you are here_," I emphasized.

"We managed to live thanks to Lord Orochimaru's help. He preserved our lineage by using the _main_ family's blood. He said that once he had the successor of the Tsutoni clan spirit, he would be able to use them to permanently fix us. You are the one we need and he gave us you as he promised."

"First of all, he did not give me to you. I came here on my own free will to find and kill him. Secondly, if the other Tsutoni blood that was stolen and injected into you didn't work, then mine won't either you dumbass," I argued.

Kakashi one-eyed squinted at my brash behavior. Why did he seem surprised each time? He should know me by now, my goodness.

Gotta ignored my mutters and directed Kinoe to move or he would kill him along with Kakashi. The wide-eyed girl argued for Kinoe's safety. She appeared to be in a state of delusion that he was her brother that had willingly gone with Orochimaru years before.

Once he was in the clear from her pleas, Kinoe convinced Gotta that keeping Kaka alive for interrogation was a better idea than murder. Gotta soon left with the others of my side branch family after seeing Kinoe begin the debriefing.

Kakashi looked me over irritably, but remained silent as I glared back at him. This lasted at least a minute without either of us budging. Kinoe sighed heavily to break our stare down.

He explained that he was actually here to intercept Orochimaru like we were, but something seemed off about his explanation. I would not doubt that he was making up a ruse on the spot: Danzō and his undercover ways, ugh. I huffed and attempted to relax in the wooden brace I was still in.

"What is going on?" Kaka finally asked me with full concern.

He was clearly distressed knowing I had more information about the people here than he did AND that I disobeyed his order to stay outside. Kinoe freed him from his barricade so that both could gawk at me.

Kakashi began to massage his sore limbs now that he was free. He was doing it to tease me seeing how I was still inconveniently tied up.

While he was doing so, I could not help but notice his toned muscles as he flexed and stretched. I frowned and looked away. How dare he try to impress me at a time like this! What if Shis-kabob saw me ogling?! I looked around panicked before Hokkaidō told me to stop being so foolish; of course my boyfriend wasn't here.

"Well?" Kaka urged with more annoyance.

I sighed before providing the history of my own clan. We didn't really have time for this; but since he insisted, I might as well elaborate.

"My father would tell me bedtime stories involving the ancients of our family. One was about the very first Tsutoni and his younger sister. It was taboo to really mention her, but he did so anyway. He believed it was important for me to know about each historical figure. Her name was _Iburi._"

As if summoned, the girl from before came back. She appeared angered. I dismissed her disdain and continued on.

"As you can see in the people here, she received a mutated gene that caused her to embody the air, like a thick fog. This genetic malfunction gave her a jutsu susceptible to the wind style her brother used. She was his weakness. She was fragile, so much so that he did not expect her to live to adulthood."

The girl and I frowned identically before I continued on.

"When she did survive and developed into a beautiful young woman, he married her off. He never imagined that she, being of the wind itself, would consider reproducing out of fear of continuing her genome. Even if she did, he assumed natural selection would prevent the mutation from lingering. After all, why would she want to burden another with her hazardous form of life?"

"Are you suggesting that I should not have the right to live as you?" The girl spoke up.

"Yukimi, I don't think—" Kinoe interrupted.

It was obvious that he wanted to prevent her from instigating an argument. It was too late for that though. She walked into one the second she opened her mouth. My voice deepened as I increased its volume.

"Her jutsu was broken, fickle, and above all terminal like a cancer. Why did she think it was okay to reproduce? Why do you think it is okay to be down here in a hell hole of a home just to live?" I snapped.

"It doesn't matter because the joke is on you. While the mighty Tsutoni fell one by one to our master, we the weakest multiplied one by one!" Iburi's descendent laughed, her face inches from mine.

Kinoe's mouth dropped. He was stationed as one of my guards back in the day, so he was present whenever I had nightmares about my father's death. He knew her jab was a very personal blow.

It was definitely too late for her now. My right arm broke free from the tree limb twisted around it. Brute strength was never something I used because it was too similar to what my mother was known for, but there was an advantage to using it at this moment and I took it. She flinched as I placed my index finger on her forehead and poked her hard enough that she fell backwards away from me before Kinoe could rewrap my arm.

"Joke? You think this predicament is a joke? My family protected the Land of Fire, was one of many that built this nation, and brought respect to our homeland all so they could be sacrificed for a handicapped side branch that spent their lives hiding in caves and under dirt like cowardly animals; a family they would have cherished and protected all while seeking out ways to stabilize them, if they had known existed. Yes, it is very funny that you have spent your entire life underground without a chance of having the golden sun, the crest of your own family, shine fiercely on your back. You silly, little earth worm."

She looked as if she wanted to cry. No one, not even this newly discovered cousin, would take our family's loss lightly.

"Yes, _Little Iburi_, it is very funny that your mother's-mother's- mother never tasted the fresh air as it breezed through the trees, danced under her feet, and swam between her fingers and that she thought it acceptable to do the same to her daughter's- daughter's- daughter."

"Stop it!" She pleaded, "This is why you are here. To fix the smoke nature that Iburi cursed us with. Master Orochimaru said Hokkaidō's vessel was what he needed."

I bit my tongue in frustration.

_Of course he would, you naïve little brat, _I thought mercilessly.

"Kinoe, please free me so that I can speak with Gotta," I demanded.

I wasn't sure if I had it in me to pull the same trick again to break free on my own. I could feel that the chakra within the wood increasing to make it less brittle.

"I can't do that. They are afraid of you, and you won't be in any danger while Kakashi is here for whenever Orochimaru shows up," he opposed.

He took Yukimi's hand and they rushed off, but to where was beyond me.

"Wait, Kinoe!" Kakashi called out and chased after them.

"What about me!" I squealed, feeling very, very vulnerable.

It wasn't that I couldn't break free if I really tried, but doing so was tricky in an area that only had air circulation from the people that turned into it. I wasn't exactly in the mood to accidentally kill family which did not help my situation at all. If only I wasn't afraid of hurting someone!

Kaka-senpai was right. I should have stayed outside until he called out to me. Now, I was in a real pickle. I concentrated my chakra and attempted to shoot bursts of it from my lungs against the limbs surrounding my abdomen and arms without causing too many bursts of wind to extend a few feet around me and spreading throughout the cave. It was useless. _Tenzō_ had me good.

* * *

~Yukimi POV

Everything the true-blooded Tsutoni stated hit me hard. I always thought that the family above that lived lavishly in the day knew we were here, but hated us; that they wanted us to remain lowly and frail. Now that I heard the truth of what was left of the main branch, I was rudely mistaken. Did Gotta selfishly use his distant relatives knowing that they were decimated to only one?

Am I wrong to think that this boy is Tenzō? Wouldn't my brother be the same height as this boy? They have the same hair, right; the same eyes? His tree tricks had something to do with Orochimaru's experimentation no doubt, but just because he didn't transform into smoke like he should didn't mean that he couldn't, isn't that so?

I didn't have much time to contemplate on those things. Gotta must have known something was amiss because he surrounded us the second the grey-haired boy caught up. As an escape plan, I transformed into the smoke substance the Purple-Eyed Tsutoni seemed disgusted by and took the two guys away.

I decided to stop worrying about the questions I had asked myself moments before. I have my beloved Tenzō here and he can take me outside! I eagerly snatched his hand and hurriedly led him to the hollow tree, leaving the other youth behind.

We could hear the noises from a nearby market like we did in the past. The smells, laughter, and little trinkets of light found ways to seep into the barren tree we were currently crouched in. This had been our secret little haven.

I noted the Tsutoni and her ally calling after us. What did she know of Orochimaru's powers? Why was she so sure that he couldn't help the Iburi? Maybe she was only concerned for herself knowing that there was a chance that she would die so that we could live. And she thought _we_ were the self-centered ones!

"Please forgive me, Tenzō," I whispered urgently before transforming again to enter his body.

* * *

~Kinoe's POV

She didn't do anything that needed forgiving. It was unsettling having her barge into me, but I honestly didn't mind. It was almost comforting being wanted, being mistaken for this strange girl's brother.

I had long since erased all of my memories before I met Danzō for my sanity; all but this one of a little girl floating in a test tube opposite me. Why that old experience continued to taunt me currently must have had something to do with this Tenzō fellow I was being compared to. Yet, that didn't seem quite right.

It was either Yukimi's desperation to be free, her desire to not be alone, at being reconnected with her brother, or maybe even the fear twinkling in her eyes. Regardless of why she made me think of those days, she did nonetheless.

She bravely escaped my protection as soon as we arrived at the marketplace and eagerly ran to each stand to ogle at the goods available. At one section, she changed her wardrobe. It was odd, but the physical change appeared to play a role in her emotional one. She was laughing, playing, and even won a food eating competition.

I bet Princess Tsutoni would have dominated that challenge. I mean, Shisui goes broke from feeding her. In all seriousness, they spend all their money on food and gifts for one another and it was a strange concept—their sharing of happiness.

I realized that was something I wanted forever. Was this how Bri-Bri felt whenever she was with Shunshin no Shisui? She would talk about running away with him in her sleep. She would be infinitely happier if she did. Why don't I take her dreaming advice and do that with Yukimi?

* * *

~Kakashi POV

In a matter of a few short seconds I lost Kinoe and the Iburi girl. I attempted to relocate them, but was stopped by Gotta. He was unreasonable and highly agitated which was not what I needed currently. As a result, an unnecessary fight was instigated.

I had never come in contact with a fighting style so unique and struggled more than I would have liked to admit. If it wasn't for my one on one training with Little Bri, I don't think I would have been prepared. Although she didn't turn into smoke herself, her wind style defensive tactics could rival this distinctive jutsu.

Fortunately, the fight turned in my favor as we battled our way outside of the cave. Orochimaru must have some pretty powerful persuasive skills to convince this man that he had all the answers for saving their clan. Whatever the snake man said was enough to influence Gotta into desperately fighting under an endless blue sky that would to tear him apart with an innocent breeze.

The idea that Bri was still tied up weighed heavily on me. What if Orochimaru appeared while I was still distracted in this duel? The cool current of air I prayed for finally arrived and I watched in awe as the Iburi leader fell, twisting in agony.

He motioned for me to come near and explained the importance of Yukimi. Orochimaru planned on using a mix of Bri's and Yukimi's blood to manipulate his own DNA, manifest himself into the smoke, and then use the temporary change to cross borders out of our reach.

I rushed towards the nearby market hoping that the two freedom goers would be found there. Luckily, my intuition was right and I located them within a few minutes. Kinoe looked frustrated at my approach and his agitation quickly turned to worry after I explained why we needed to go back.

Apparently, he was against the return. He was hand-in-hand with Yukimi running away _again_. My main agenda was to make it back to keep Bri safe. My vow to her sensitive and jealous boyfriend about keeping her alive would be decimated if I failed to do just that.

But before I could keep my own promises, I needed these two idiots. I shouldn't even have to be concerned about Bri; but oh no, she couldn't just mind her superior's order to stay OUT OF THE GODDAMNED CAVE. You would think that her past would have influenced her decision to keep away. That would make too much sense. That would be too easy.

"Tenzō, wait," I heard the frightened Iburi girl say.

"Yukimi, we can't stop now," Kinoe stated exhaustedly before tugging on her arm to continue.

"I can't abandon them. I can't leave the only family I know back there. What if Bri is right about Master Orochimaru? What if all he wants is to use them, me? She's trapped like bait and we did that. I need to go," she explained and took off without us.

* * *

~Bri POV

I have been screaming for help for what seemed like an eternity. The stench of reptile was getting nearer and stronger. I wasn't afraid, but I'll be damned if he catches me trapped like a rat. Those stupid Iburi were pacing around me with excitement buzzing from their lips. He wasn't going to help them; he was going to help himself to them!

"Please, you don't understand! He's going to kill all of us unless you help me," Hokkaidō snarled on my behalf.

They seemed taken aback by the sudden voice change. They knew as much about me as I did of them, but they still flinched when viewing my amethyst stare. Our clan spirit wasn't imaginary and they certainly knew that now. Their neglect continued on for another five to ten minutes until _he_ slithered in.

Fear trickled beyond Hokkaidō's control as I uselessly watched the weak, bloody mess of a Sanin slaughter the confused Iburi. He drank them dry while I urged them to change forms and run. They were too terrified to act.

Their faces paled as their burgundy blood drained from their necks and into Orochimaru's throat. The wicked snake tamer took notice of me after his feast.

"Ohohohoho my, if it isn't the little Tsutoni I've desired for so long. It appears that these pathetic members from Tsutoni Iburi came through for me after all," he laughed like a rabid hyena.

"How do you know my entrapment isn't intentional? What if they set you up?" I challenged wildly before focusing my attention on the wood encasing the arm I had broken free from previously.

I needed to keep him away long enough for either help to come, or for me to burst my way free on my own.

"This can't be," I heard a soft voice whisper.

Yukimi decided to make an appearance a little too late. She looked of death itself as she took in the trauma surrounding her. It was like a replaying of my own nightmares. I wondered if I looked like her that night I received Hokkaidō. She was less fortunate, I think. I had received hope from the elder's spirit, while she will get nothing in return.

"You can dwell on them later, Yukimi," I cried out, "for now you need to either get me out of here or run before he attacks!"

Like the rest of the dim-witted family, her desire to flee was evident but she was too petrified on the spot to do anything. I decided it best to not waste any more attention on her. The clan threatened by wind was gone, so I quickly inhaled as much air as my lungs would hold and forced the gust onto the weakest branch holding me back.

It was just in time. The flexible neck of Orochimaru expanded towards the nape of my own neck like he had done on those surrounding me. I was able to use my free arm to slap the disgusting flop of head hard enough away that it twisted in on itself, temporarily tangling it.

I used his setback to free my bottom half. All that was still stuck was my left arm. He didn't place any more effort into snatching me and went for Yukimi instead. She finally snapped her attention back onto the present events and evaporated away.

The beast snarled and chased after the ghost form of a girl. Within seconds, my two comrades arrived. Kaka's electricity burned the remaining wooden entrapment. He seized me and started to shake me before I could fall to my feet from the sparks still pumping though my veins.

"Fucking Kami, Bri! What are you doing playing around while all this is happening?" The scarecrow shouted at my bewildered expression.

"Yes, that was what I was doing; just goofing off in bark chains as people were consumed around me," I sarcastically replied.

If this was his way of showing that he was worried about me, shit. He had a lot to learn about female expectations.

"We don't have time to argue! Where did she go?" Kinoe interrupted mine and Kakashi's untimely spat.

I pointed in the general direction of where I last saw Yukimi. The spirits of the decimated family miraculously led the way. By the time we reached her, the snake's presence was awol. Her frail form trembled between material states. Finally, she twinkled out into smoke.

Kinoe's emotional wall collapsed and panic bellowed from his quivering lips. He fiercely fought to keep Yukimi's vapor from leaving the vicinity. He begged me to help him keep her from escaping his wood release's reach. I followed his instruction to use my wind to cautiously surround her so that he could support her.

The lingering Iburi souls embraced their last fallen angel. A tree, the greatest symbol of life and prosperity, formed from their sacrifice. I was relieved when Yukimi emerged from the trunk seemingly unscathed. She was not left with nothing after all. She was given a new life.

It was not too much longer after the incident that we made our way outside and onto the path back home. I tried to persuade her to come with me. She had not explored the world and wanted to experience all the things she had been deprived of, so she thought it best to take her own trail.

Kakashi told Kinoe that we know nothing about all that went down which meant we would have to report as such. Both Danzō and Hokage-sama would think the mission a failure but I didn't feel defeated. If anything, I felt alleviated knowing that I could handle serious work in the field and looked forward to the next attempt at catching the monster I was in search of.

"Do we have to go back now?" I asked Kakashi as he went through our supply bags.

"I guess we don't necessarily have a time frame we need to return by," he hesitantly replied.

"There is supposed to be a full moon tonight. The little village near here has a celebration around this time. My father took me to it once, and it was so much fun. Can we pleeeeease go see if it'll happen?" I pleaded as meekly as possible.

"Fine. I don't think it will hurt anything by going," he agreed.

Little did we know what was to follow.

* * *

~ A/N: This chapter was inspired by the filler episodes 353 and 354 if you want to check them out :D


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